DPD dispatcher suffers miscarriage when she says ambulance driver fell asleep in crash

FOX 2 (WJBK) - A ride to the hospital ended in tragedy for a Detroit police dispatcher.

It would have been the first baby for Brandy Holmes and her fiancé, Rashard Rice.

"Was my child okay - had it been affected? Just fear," said Brandy Holmes. "Just when we started getting excited about having a baby - we lost it."

But on July 24th, just seven weeks into her pregnancy - Holmes had cramping. Her father called 911, but the trip to the hospital she hoped would save her pregnancy - instead, she says, ended it.

"She called for what she thought would be help and then tragedy ensued," said James King, her attorney.

Her attorney says the ambulance driver, Jacob McGraw, was driving so erratically - without sirens - that the other paramedic had him pull over just so he could insert Brandy's IV.

"The male paramedic that was in the back of the rig with me - started to make comments about his driving and his behavior," she said. "One of the things he said to me while we were in the rig was, 'I'm sorry, I guess he forgot that some people were back here.'"

Then investigators say McGraw rear-ended another car at a red light, causing a chain reaction crash at Oakwood Boulevard and Southfield Road in Allen Park - just a few blocks from Beaumont Hospital in Dearborn.

"We hit something extremely hard - at a high rate of speed - the rig lifted off the ground, it began to rock violently," she said. "And because I was strapped into the restraints, my body lifted forward which put pressure in my stomach.  I was left in the back of the rig for over 30 minutes while we waited for another medic to pull up."

"The driver didn't even apologize. As a result the next day - I lost my child."

But how could this have happened?

"After this incident occurred, the driver of the vehicle told the police that he fell asleep behind the wheel," King said. "It's inexcusable and something that could have been prevented."

"I didn't even know what we hit - or what hit us," she said. "And to find out it was because he fell asleep - it has inspired anger."

Now Holmes is suing the ambulance driver and his employer - Hart EMS Medical Services for injuries - and loss that goes way beyond what's physical.

She says she hasn't been able to return to her job as a 911 dispatcher in Detroit - and she hasn't stopped thinking about the child they were so excited to have.

"This is not okay. This is not okay and something needs to be done," she said.

"It's a very sad unfortunate situation," said Rice, her fiancé. "I just want someone held accountable."

"Situations like this don't happen often - primarily because we expect more from our public service," King said.

Now they want to know if the driver was ever tested for drugs or alcohol - and if he's still on the job.

"We don't want a tragedy like this to happen to someone else,"

FOX 2 reached out to Hart EMS Medical Services for comment - but did not hear back.

Brandy Holmes