Change Log:
Added Paul Boyer, Fort Bragg, who died on 10/22/09. (May 5, 2025)
Added Duke Life Flight members who died on 9/8/17. (May 4, 2025)

Presenting a list of ambulance driver, rescue squad member, and EMS agency member line of duty deaths, but excludes fire-based EMS agency members (for now). Most of these names are listed on the National EMS Memorial Service page.

See this Google Drive folder of research materials.

Summary

Before 1960

Arthur C. Funderburk Jr., 24
Ambulance driver
Douglas & Sing Funeral Home, Charlotte
6/8/1933
Vehicle collision, ambulance collided with car while answering a call.
Died on June 8, 1933, when his ambulance was responding to a call on Second Street. At about 4:30 p.m., the ambulance collided with a car at the intersection of Cecil Street and Elizabeth Avenue. The driver of the car apparently failed to hear the siren and the two vehicles collided almost head-on. Funderburk died instantly. His assistant was transported in serious condition. A third car was also involved. The occupants of the automobiles were also seriously injured. Funderburk had been employed for three years at the funeral home.

Zell J. Watson, 38
Ambulance driver
Yelverton Funeral Home, Raleigh
7/15/1949
Vehicle collision, ambulance collided with a car, while en route to the hospital.
Died on July 15, 1949, when his ambulance collided with a 1941 Ford Convertible at the intersection of Martin and Bloodworth streets at 9:30 p.m. The ambulance was transported a patient and two friends to Rex Hospital. Driver Watson suffered a fractural skull and died at Rex Hospital from a cerebral hemorrhage. The three others in the ambulance were not serious injured, nor were the four people in the automobile.
Buried at Montlawn Memorial Park, Raleigh, NC

John H. Miles
High Point Rescue Squad, High Point
1/12/1953
Vehicle collision, while returning from a call.
Died on January 12, 1953, while heading to High Rock Lack, to assist in the search for the bodies of two youths who were believed to be drowned. His pick-up truck collided with another truck shortly after noon on Highway 29 about one mile north of Lexington. Miles was pronounced dead on arrival at Lexington Memorial Hospital.

Robert L. Battle, 45
Raleigh Emergency Rescue Squad, Raleigh
4/23/1959
Drowned, during a water recovery operation.
Died on April 23, 1959, while participating in a body search on the Cape Fear River near Buckhorn Dam. About five miles below the dam, Battle entered the water to swim out and investigate an object seen on the back of an overturned boat. He was unable to return to shore and drowned in the river. Battle was an employee of the Wake County Sherrif’s Office and had worked as a night jailer for four years. He had previously worked as a Raleigh Police Officer.

1960 to 1979

James M Hickman, 35
Goldsboro Rescue Squad, Goldsboro
3/28/1976
Drowned, during a water recovery operation.
James Hickman drowned during a water rescue operation on March 28, 1976. The incident started when four fisherman came too close to the turbulent suction of the swirling waters below Fish Ladder Dam on the Neuse River southwest of Goldsboro in North Carolina. Responding rescuers included members of Goldsboro Rescue Squad. Hickman was one of three squad members in a rescue boat. When the rescue boat also came to close to the swirling waters, all three squad members attempted to grab the tow rope and caused the boat to capsize. Two of the squad members were rescued, but Hickman slid under the water having suffered a head injury. Hickman was a volunteer EMT.
Buried at Wayne Memorial Park in Dudley, NC

Kenneth Lee Davis, 27
Goldsboro Rescue Squad, Goldsboro
11/7/1976
Vehicle collision, ambulance struck by car, while returning from call.
Kenneth Davis died on November 7, 1976, when he and two other squad members were returning from a call where their services were not needed. The ambulance was struck by a car that ran a stop sign while traveling at a high rate of speed. The ambulance was pushed more than 55 feet. Davis was killed instantly, as were the occupants of the car. The two other squad members in the ambulance were seriously injured. Davis, 27, was a volunteer EMT with the squad. His other volunteer duties with his rescue squad included rescue driver, Secretary, Sergeant, and Lieutenant, and a member of the North Carolina Rescue Association. He received posthumously the Medal of Valor.
Buried at Wayne Memorial Park in Dudley, NC

John A. Pierce
Enfield Rescue Squad, Enfield
12/20/1979
Vehicle collision, personal vehicle struck while responding to call.
Responding to call when his van struck a tractor-trailer truck that was backing across US 301. Pierce worked as a plant safety director at Carolina Enterprise in Tarboro. 

1980 to 1989

Stephen Gray “Steve” Richey, 33
Forsyth Rescue Squad, Winston-Salem
9/25/1984
Helicopter crashed during high-level rescue/recovery operation.
Steve Richey, 33, died on September 25, 1984, aboard a private helicopter that was attempting the rescue of an injured construction worker atop a water tower in Kernersville. The helicopter struck one of the tower’s legs, knocking off the rear rotor, and causing the helicopter to spin to the ground and crash. Both Richey and the pilot were killed. Richey was a 13-year member of the Forsyth Rescue Squad, serving as a paramedic and an E.M.T. IV. He was also the training instructor for North Carolina State Rescue College and for his squad. Richey had been honored as “squadsman of the year,” for his work in 1981-82, and was honored posthumously for the award in 1984. He was also honored by resolutions from the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners, and the Kernersville Board of Alderman for his work on the incident in which he died.
Buried at Parklawn Memorial Park, Winston-Salem, NC

Barry Wayne Day, 36
Pilot
Buried at Rose Hill Burial Park, Hamilton, OH

Karen Simpson, 30
Nurse

Barbara Burdett, 28
Nurse

AirCare, North Carolina Baptist Hospitals, Winston-Salem
9/23/1986
Medical helicopter crash en route to pick up patient.
See narrative at https://legeros.com/blog/air-ambulance-crashes.

Perry Lee Reynolds, 39
Pilot
Buried at Lafayette Memorial Park, Fayetteville, NC

Mike Patrick McGinnis, 32
Chief Flight Nurse
Buried at Alamance Memorial Park, Burlington, NC

Pamela M. Demaree, 28
Flight Nurse
Buried at Pine Forest Memorial Gardens, Wake Forest, NC

Pitt County Memorial Hospital East Care, Greenville
1/8/1987
Medical helicopter crashed during patient transport.
See narrative at https://legeros.com/blog/air-ambulance-crashes.

Elaine Pruitt Lyda, 45
Clarkton Rescue Squad, Clarkton
10/10/1987
Vehicle collision, personal vehicle struck while returning from squad event.
Elaine Lyda had been a member of the squad for several years and served squad Secretary and participating in fundraising. She was employed by the Joint Municipal Housing Cooperative in Elizabethtown. She represented the Clarkton Squad by serving as Secretary of the Area II region of the North Carolina Association of Rescue Squads (NCARS) and had recently been recognized for her contributions by being awarded Secretary of the Year by the NCARS.
 
Claude Clara “C.C.” Duvall II, 53
Lead Pilot
Buried at Manteo Cemetery, Manteo, NC

Stephanie Willoughby, 34
EMT

Dare County EMS Medflight, Manteo
3/26/1989
Medical Aviation Accident
Medical helicopter crashed, returning from patient transport.
See narrative at https://legeros.com/blog/air-ambulance-crashes.

1990 to 1999

Carl E. “Buggs” Hensley, 59
Piedmont Triad Ambulance and Rescue, High Point
3/16/1991
Cardiac during training session.
Died on March 16, 1991, after suffering a heart attack during a training session on mountain rescue. Hensley was a charter member of High Point Rescue Squad, the prior name of the squad. He served as Captain. He was retired from Western Electric and was employed with Guilford County EMS.
Floral Garden Memorial Park, High Point, NC

Harvey Jennings “Butch” Lamm, 39
Mt. Pleasant Rescue Squad, Bailey
5/2/1991
Cardiac during emergency call.
Died on May 2, 1991, of a heart attack suffered during a multi-day search and rescue call. His death was attributed to the stress and overexertion of the call, that involved heavily wood areas with vast fields and ponds that had to be dragged. Lamm joined MPRS in 1988 as an EMT and became a paramedic in 1990.
Buried at Bailey Cemetery, Bailey, NC

Wayne Dale Rice, 21
Dallas Rescue Squad, Dallas
7/21/1991
Vehicle collision, personal vehicle struck, while returning from state EMT exam.
On July 21, 1991, he died of injuries suffered in a vehicle accident the night before, when he and a second squad member were returning from Lenoir, where they had taken a portion of the state EMT examine. He was the owner of an automobile repair shop.
Buried at Gaston Memorial Park, Gastonia, NC

Eddie Jones, Jr., 74
Harrells Rescue Squad, Rose Hill
3/3/1992
Heart failure following emergency call.
On March 3, 1992, he suffered a medical emergency during a non-emergency body transport call. After arriving at their destination, he was found unresponsive in the ambulance. He was transported to the hospital, where he died. He had suffered a suffered a severe asthma attack which caused heart failure. He had been a member of the squad since its found in 1973 and served as co-captain. He had been awarded Rescue Member of the Year five times over the years. He also volunteered with Harrells VFD. He worked at a gas station that he owned.
Buried at Harrells Cemetery, Harrells, NC

Michael Travison, 32
Co-pilot

Anthony “Tony” Barbee, 45
Pilot

Donna L. Eaton, 33
Flight nurse

Karen Lynn Canada, 38
Flight nurse

Air Care, North Carolina Baptist Hospitals, Winston-Salem
4/22/1994
Medical helicopter crashed, en route to patient pick-up.
See narrative at https://legeros.com/blog/air-ambulance-crashes.

Michael R Jackson
Mid-South Ambulance Service, Smithfield
2/9/1995
Struck in roadway, at accident scene, that their ambulance rolled up upon.
Died on February 9, 1995, struck at the scene of a vehicle accident in Raleigh that his ambulance had come upon. Jackson and Lisa Langston were heading to Chapel Hill, on a routine trip to pick-up a patient. On Interstate 40 in Wake County, they encountered a minor accident that had happened minutes earlier. The accident involved a tractor-trailer truck and two other vehicles. After both EMS members checked the vehicles for injured patients, Jackson walked in front of the ambulance to retrieve warning markers. The ambulance was struck from behind from the tractor-trailer truck, which had rolled down the incline and into the lane of the ambulance. Jackson struck by both vehicles and died instantly. Jackson was also a member of both Smithfield and Four Oaks rescue squads and a former 911 dispatcher. He was also a special deputy with the Johnston County Sheriff’s Department and had recently graduated from the local community college law-enforcement training program.

Gentry Randall Blevins, 46
Helton Volunteer Ambulance, Lansing
3/29/1999
Died in a vehicle collision not involving an ambulance.
Died on March 29, 1999, of injuries resulting from a vehicle accident on Fees Branch Road in Lansing, while he was responding to a medical call. Blevins had been a responder for one-and-a-half years.
Buried in Jefferson, NC.

2000 to 2009

John A Holland, 39
Duke Life Flight, Durham
10/16/2000
Died in a medical helicopter crash in Burlington, returning to base after being cancelled.
See narrative at https://legeros.com/blog/air-ambulance-crashes.

John G Rhodes, 40
Randolph County EMS, Asheboro
5/8/2001
Suffered a heart attack at the EMS base.
John G. Rhodes, 40,died of a heart attack on May 8, 2001. He had just reported for duty at the EMS base in Archdale. He became ill during a shirt report and excused himself. When he didn’t return, his co-workers checked on him and he was found in full cardiac arrest. Medical care was started and he was transported to High Point Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Rhodes was a full-time employee of RCEMS, a tactical paramedic with the Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team, and a part-time faculty member of the EMS program.

John Lynn Moore, 42
Ellerbe Rescue Squad, Ellerbe
8/19/2002
Struck by a truck at an accident scene on US 220.
John Lynn Moore, 42, died on August 19, 2002. He had stopped to assist at the scene of a single car accident on US 220 North. After assessing the accident, Moore called for the Highway Patrol. While waiting for assistance to arrive, Moore was struck and fatally injured by a tractor-trailer that lost control and jack-knifed across the road. Moore was a 17-year veteran of the squad, and had previously served with Cordova Rescue Squad. At ERS he had risen through the ranks of First Lieutenant, Assistant Chief, and Chief, a position he held from 1997 until his death. Moore was a certified EMT-D, Farm Medic, and ERT.

Larry Doughton Crouse, 50
Alleghany County EMS, Aurora
12/31/2005
Suffered a heart attack at the EMS station.
Larry Doughton Crouse, 50, died on December 31, 2005. He was found by his fellow members on the floor of their facility, not breathing and without a pulse. He was transported to Alleghany Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Crouse had been an EMT-Paramedic with the agency since 1998. In previous years he served as captain of the squad, and had received the status of shift supervisor.
Buried at Cheek Family Cemetery in Alleghany County, NC.

Joseph “Joe” Austin Jones, 72
Pilot Mountain Rescue, Pilot Mountain
2/12/2007
Died of a heart attack while answering a call.
Joe A. Jones, 72, died on February 12, 2007. He suffered a massive heart attack while answering a call. Medical treatment was started at the scene, but he was pronounced dead upon arriving at the hospital. He was a 40-year veteran of the squad and a charter member.
Buried at Christian Community Baptist Church cemetery in Pilot Mountain, NC.

Bonnie McNeil, 50
Union Rescue Squad, Willard
5/14/2009
Died of a heart attack that she suffered, climbing into an ambulance to answer a call.
Bonnie McNeil, 50, died on May 14, 2009. She was preparing to leave the scene of a medical call. As she started to enter the ambulance, she suffered a fatal heart attack. Bonnie McNeil worked as an EMT for the squad. She also volunteered at Penderlea FD.
Buried at Riverview Memorial Park, Willard, NC.

2010 to Present

William “Billy” Lawrence McKinney Jr., 42
Captain
Rockingham County EMS, Wentworth
1/14/2015 
Struck by a vehicle at the scene of an accident, that he stopped at while returning home from his duty shift.
Captain William “Billy” L. McKinney Jr., 42. died on January 14, 2015. That morning he just completed his 12-hour rotation and was headed home. The weather was poor with freezing rain, sleet, and hazardous road conditions. While traveling home, Billy stopped to assist a motorist in an accident due to road conditions. While assisting the motorist, he was struck and killed.
Buried at Thompsonville Baptist Church cemetery in Rockingham County, NC.

Frank Roy Echevarria, 52
Paramedic
Cumberland County EMS, Fayetteville
7/9/2017
Died of an apparent heart attack after responding to three emergency calls.
Echevarria was a 30-year veteran of both EMS and fire services.
Buried at Lafayette Memorial Park, Fayetteville, NC

Jeffrey Leroy Burke, 51
Pilot
Buried at Eastern Carolina Veterans Cemetery in Goldsboro.

Crystal Faith Harris Sollinger, 47
Nurse
Buried at Raleigh Memorial Park.

Kristopher “Kris” Ray Harrison, 44
Nurse

Duke Life Flight, Durham
9/8/2017
See narrative at https://legeros.com/blog/air-ambulance-crashes.

Dennis Lamont Hardy, 47
EMT
Bertie County Emergency Services, Windsor
7/22/2020
COVID, contracted on duty.
Died of complications from COVID contracted in the line of duty.

Donald “DP” R. Paul, 60
A-EMT
FirstHealth of the Carolinas Critical Care Transport, Pinehurst
12/3/2020
COVID, contracted on duty.
Died of complications from COVID contracted in the line of duty.
Buried Nebo Wesleyan Church Cemetery, Hamlet, NC.

Milton Earl Reel, 63
Lieutenant/EMT
Farmville Rescue & EMS, Inc., Farmville
12/22/2020
COVID, contracted on duty.
Died of complications from COVID contracted in the line of duty.
Buried at Crestlawn Cemetery, Farmville, NC

Vanessa Lynn Burris, 30
EMT
Cumberland County EMS, Fayetteville
8/10/2021
COVID, contracted on duty.
Died of complications from COVID contracted in the line of duty.

John Thomas “Thomas” Ring, 35
Paramedic
Wilkes County EMS, North Wilkesboro
9/6/2021
COVID, contracted on duty.
Died of complications from COVID contracted in the line of duty. He was also captain at Glendale Springs VFD.
Buried at Claude Mash Cemetery in Wilkes County, NC.

Donna Maria Barrett Cagle, 49
EMT
Bladen County EMS, Bladenboro
9/22/2021
COVID, contracted on duty.
Died of complications from COVID contracted in the line of duty. Cagle had worked for BCEMS for 15 years.
Buried at Ward Family Cemetery in Tar Hell, NC.