Funny Story

[Danny Ryder - Deceased - 1962 - 2021]

When I was a young lad working at the funeral home my boss always had interesting stories of the good ole days and remembered one I thought I would share. Back in the early days when funeral homes did ambulance service along with their funeral work it could be a cruel world. My boss worked in an area where guys would do almost anything to get business. If they were called out in the middle of the night when they got near where they were going they would make sure no one was behind them because what these guys did was after you got to scene your compatition would pull up to the back of your car where you couldn't get your cot out and they would get the victom. Almost as much fun as the Movie Mother, Jugs, and Speed where they would let the air out of the other guys tires.

 

[Adam Borkat]

I remember listening to Wink Winkenhofer, who always had great old stories like this, tell me of the same thing happening. What was funny about when he told it was that he was always intentionally the second one on the scene.

 

[David Martin]

In my previous missives about growing up around my Uncles small town Indiana operation I mentioned he was in competition with the Jones family...

Uncle allways received his latest Caddy M-M Combo from the floor of the current Indiana Funeral Directors convention. In the early-mid 60's his latest jewel was delivered.

A short three days later upon being put into service in Dunkirk Indiana there was a Auto accident. Jones was called and after quite a delay with no response Uncle was called and he responded. Yep Jonsey..as we called him...showed up after Uncle was on scene and seeing it was being taken care of Jonsey turned around and tried to leave....During which he backed into the right front fender of Uncle's new Baby.. Jonesy ended up with the patient...after professing apologies and promising to pay for all the repairs.

 

[Richard Vyse]

We always did that back in Flint Danny. Call jumping was a norm so you had to be on your toes. I don't remember ever being as bad as the guys in the movie "Mother, Jugs, & Speed" where you cut the tires.

 

[Bruce Osborne]

not that many years ago ( 1970's) , you had to have locking gas caps as the competition would arrive and drop styrofoam coffee cup pieces into your fuel tank.well gas disolves this and turns into a gum quite rapidly. needless to statethat you didn't get very far after loading.

 

[Brendan Martin]

Here in Rhode Island as far as my research shows ambulance service was always provided by the local Fire Departments. I know of one exception, a Funeral Home in my fathers home city of Pawtucket, they had a funeral home that ran the ambulance, but the fire department also sent a rescue truck. So this really didn't allow for call jumping.

 

[Rocky Fluegge]

fun stories guys sounds like survival of the most cleaver.

 

[Kent Dorsey]

Story from western NC mountains about a car accident down a steep mountan. The first funeral director on the scene got his stretcher down the hill with the help of a deputy. The other funeral home pulled up to the back door of his ambulance. It took all of them to get the stretcher with the patient up the hill, and in the process the first funeral director on the scene was the last to be scaling the hill to get to the top. When he got to the top the competitor funeral home was putting his stretcher (with the patient) in their car, and sped away.
He was left at the mountain with his empty car, and the competitors stretcher.
Yes, he did.
He kicked the stretcher down the mountain.

 

[Jeremy D. Ledford]

Story from western NC mountains about a car accident down a steep mountan. The first funeral director on the scene got his stretcher down the hill with the help of a deputy. The other funeral home pulled up to the back door of his ambulance. It took all of them to get the stretcher with the patient up the hill, and in the process the first funeral director on the scene was the last to be scaling the hill to get to the top. When he got to the top the competitor funeral home was putting his stretcher (with the patient) in their car, and sped away.
He was left at the mountain with his empty car, and the competitors stretcher.
Yes, he did.
He kicked the stretcher down the mountain.

This happened to my bosses father in law once as well. He left the stretcher on the shoulder of the road next to the ambulance as they went down the embankment to check on a patient. Meanwhile, the competitor loaded another patient from another car on his (our) stretcher and took off with it leaving their wore out un made up stretcher for my bosses father in law! And he was livid about it too!

 

[Steve Lichtman]

These are good. I've heard call jumping stories, but never as "direct" as this (except for the tires). Fire departments rarely jump calls.

When I lived in Tulsa, our company was trying to get business from the nursing homes in the outlying towns, which were covered by another private ambulance service, CW. I was put "in charge" of gaining this business. I would listen to the scanner for CW's calls, and would show up at a nursing home for a "sales call" before they would get there. "Oh, you have a patient going to the hospital now? Well, since we're already here and they're not, we'll be glad to take them if you'd like...."

Oh, I was a bad boy! But I didn't flatten any tires.

What was funny about when he told it was that he was always intentionally the second one on the scene.

The early bird may get the worm, but it's the second mouse that gets the cheese.