A criminal investigation was launched on Jan. 13 against the driver and passenger of a car, which blocked the passageway of an emergency ambulance. Authorities will investigate whether the suspects contributed to a patient's death.
Juliana Lobanova, who was the driver of the car, obstructed the work of emergency services in the city of Petropavovskiy-Kamchatskiy in Russia’s Far East on Jan. 10, according to the RIA Novosti news service. The traffic incident, which lasted 10 minutes and delayed treatment to a patient in a critical condition, was resolved after police intervention.
The case was reported to Russia’s Investigation Department by representatives of the United Kingdom, instituted under Part 1 of Article 109 of the Russian Criminal Code (causing death by negligence).
“It will be ascertained whether there is a causal link between the death of a man and the traffic incident, as well as the accuracy of events presented by medical personnel,” the Investigative Committee reported.
It is unclear whether the incident contributed to the patient’s death. However, Deputy Chief Doctor Galina Kulikova has argued that if medical staff had arrived on time, the patient “would have had a chance” of being saved.