Much is to be said about the early days when different types of vehicles and different agencies were called on to help those in need. The police department, in addition to local funeral homes, were called on to assist in various situations.In the 1940's to 1987 the Jefferson County Police Department was the primary provider of ambulance service to the county. First-aid-trained police officers in "stretcher cars" provided care to the sick and injured. This was before the development of Emergency Medical Services. The officers did everything from caring for the critically wounded in traffic accidents to delivering babies.Delmar Whitworth, Sr., 57, lost his life on May 24, 1960 when the police station wagon he was riding in crashed. Delmar was attending a victim of a traffic accident when the driver of the ambulance station wagon lost control. A car pulled out of a driveway causing the ambulance driver to apply brakes, they locked causing it to skid and spin out of control on a rain-soaked highway. The officers were transporting the victim to Kentucky Baptist Hospital.Mr. Whitworth was a member of Jefferson County Police Department of Louisville, Kentucky.Honored 2002 |