INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Two young medics who died over the weekend in downtown Indianapolis will be remembered Wednesday at a memorial service honoring their public-safety contributions.
JEMS Fatal Indianapolis Ambulance Crash
The cause of Saturday’s collision that killed Cody Medley, 22, and Tim McCormick, 24, remains under investigation.
Police said a 21-year-old woman who was driving the car that hit Medley and McCormick’s ambulance was released following a routine blood-alcohol test. Police were awaiting the results of that test.
The memorial at Butler University’s Clowes Memorial Hall will give the local public safety community and the public a chance to reflect on the lives of the medics, said Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services spokesman Todd Harper.
“The entire public safety community wants to recognize these guys, what they’ve done and what they’ve meant to EMS and the entire community,” Harper said Monday.
At a Sunday news conference, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard said the city is in “uncharted territory,” alluding to the fact that the deaths represent the first known line-of-duty deaths of emergency services workers in Indianapolis history. Ballard announced Monday that he was postponing the annual State of the City address scheduled for Tuesday because of the deaths. Ballard now plans to give the speech on March 8.
McCormick, who lived in Greenwood south of Indianapolis, is scheduled to be buried Tuesday following a funeral mass in Indianapolis.
Funeral arrangements were still incomplete Monday for Medley, who lived in Indianapolis.
McCormick was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash early Saturday several blocks north of the Indiana Statehouse. Medley died early Sunday from his injuries.
Police said the ambulance had the right of way at the intersection where the collision occurred and both medics were wearing seatbelts.
WRTV-TV reported Monday that fellow members of Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services have created a petition seeking to ask the City-County Council to rename two streets near the intersection for the men.
Medley, who went to high school in Scranton, Pa., joined Indianapolis EMS in 2010 after serving as a firefighter in Sunman, Ind.
“His friends and colleagues describe him as a fun and outgoing man, who enjoyed his job greatly,” said Indianapolis EMS Chief Charles Miramonti.
McCormick, 24, was originally from New York state and attended St. Lawrence University and IUPUI.
“Tim was a heroic provider, but he was also a wonderful colleague and friend to us all,” Miramonti said.
Leon Bell, who taught Medley in a paramedic class, told The Indianapolis Star the deaths had taken a toll on him and his co-workers. He said they’re struggling with the sudden loss of two talented young men who had promising careers.
“Suddenly, a person who you’ve had coffee with, you’ve had breakfast with, is no longer there,” Bell said. “It creates a void in your consciousness, and I think that’s what people are dealing with. Cody will live on in our hearts and lives, but how do I fill the void?”
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
