Wis. Doctor Dies from Injuries Sustained in Ambulance Crash

July 12--Dr. Stanley Phillips, a UW-Madison newborn care specialist injured Wednesday in an ambulance crash south of Rosendale, died Thursday night, UW Health officials said.

Phillips, 32, and three other medical workers were in a Meriter Hospital ambulance at about 12:35 p.m. Wednesday when the driver failed to negotiate a curve, causing the ambulance to hit a culvert and flip on its side, according to the Fond du Lac Sheriff's Office.

Phillips was a fellow, or doctor getting specialized training after finishing medical school and a residency program. He had just started his pediatric fellowship July 1.

"While Stan was only here a short time, he already made a big impression on all of us," Dr. John Frohna, vice chairman for education at the Department of Pediatrics at UW Hospital and Clinics, said in a statement. "His passion for learning and his enthusiasm for the care of newborns was amazing. I know he would have made a significant impact on our training program and on the care of his patients."

The other workers were taken to hospitals for injuries. Nurse practitioner Katherine Hirsch and respiratory therapist Amy Duerk were treated and released, and nurse Marianne Davidson was in surgery Thursday at UW Hospital, Meriter and UW officials said.

The driver, Ross Fleming, 62, was not injured. No alcohol or drug use was suspected, so tests were not done at the scene, but Fleming later requested a blood test to prove he wasn't under the influence, Meriter spokesman Mike Flaherty said. Results were not ready Thursday, Flaherty said.

Everyone in the ambulance was wearing a seat belt, Flaherty said. The crash occurred on Highway 26 about 10 miles south of Rosendale, in Fond du Lac County.

The ambulance was on its way to Appleton to bring a baby to Meriter for a surgery by a UW specialist that isn't available in the Appleton area, said Kathy Kostrivas, Meriter's assistant vice president for women's health services.

She said a crisis support team was at Meriter on Thursday. "It's a sad day for Meriter," she said.

The mobile newborn intensive care unit transfers 60 to 80 babies each year from other parts of the state to Madison, Kostrivas said.

"It helps out small hospitals that don't have this kind of service," she said. "There's a way to get the patient to a higher level of care with a team that is able to support them in transit."

The unit is equipped with an incubator, ventilator, oxygen and other equipment for infants. It is staffed by a doctor or nurse practitioner, a nurse and a respiratory therapist, Kostrivas said.

Sometimes a trainee goes along, as was the case with Phillips, Kostrivas said. Meriter has stopped transporting babies while the crash is being investigated, she said.

UW Health said "Phillips' dedication to saving lives will continue through his gift as an organ donor."

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