Study: Private cars offer better chance of survival for shooting, stabbing victims over ambulances

Shooting or stabbing victims may have a better chance of surviving if they’re taken to the hospital by private vehicle instead of an ambulance.

That’s according to a study by the Journal of American Medical Association.

The study looked at more than 100,000 people who were either shot or stabbed in the U.S.

It found transporting a gunshot or stabbing wound victim by private car increases chances of survival over waiting for an ambulance.

Dr. Brian Yorkgitis, an assistant professor of surgery at UF Health Jacksonville said the results might not apply in Jacksonville.

“Getting to a trauma center quickly that is capable of taking care of these injuries is most important,” Yorkgitis said.

He said transport by private vehicle could be problematic if a driver goes to a hospital without a trauma center.

While Yorkgitis said EMS transport in Jacksonville is better, there are downfalls.

“The more intervention that EMS does, the decrease in survival the patient has because they cannot provide definitive hemorrhage control,” Yorkgitis said.

We reached out to the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department about average transport times in our city specifically for gunshot and stabbing wound victims.

Their response: "We do not track that specific statistic and hence do not have that data as a part of our sampling."

Cox Media Group