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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Thousands of injured Utahns annually refuse to be transported by ambulances to access medical care -- some because they can't afford the trip.
Emergency workers say they can't force anyone to go to a hospital.
Salt Lake city Fire Department spokesman Scott Freitag says that even if a patient has a traumatic injury, if they refuse care, paramedics must leave.
Freitag says most patients opt to drive themselves to the hospital or get a ride from someone else. Statistics show that happened more than 2,600 time in the Salt Lake valley last year.
Unified Fire Authority paramedic Rod Sellers says many people refuse ambulance rides because they can't afford the trip. The average Salt Lake valley trip costs between $800 and $1,200.
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
