NEWS

Georgia Medical Transport driver being investigated for alleged abuse of patient

Joe Johnson
jjohnson@onlineathens.com

A driver for Georgia Medical Transport is being investigated for the alleged abuse of a patient, Athens-Clarke County police said.

After picking up the patient from her dialysis treatment, the driver reportedly took her mistakenly to the University Nursing & Rehabilitation Center on Epps Bridge Road instead of her intended destination, police said. While at the center, a nurse saw the driver was pushing the patient in a wheelchair backwards, and her leg was bent back and under her body, according to police.

When the nurse told the driver the patient did not belong at the center, the driver reportedly cursed at the nurse before returning to his van to check his roster, confirming his mistake, police said.

When pushing the patient back to the van, with her leg still bent backwards in the wheelchair, the patient reportedly yelled out in pain, "He's trying to kill me," according to police.

The driver, a 61-year-old Winterville man, is being investigated for abuse of an elderly or disabled person, police said.