Black Lives Matter blocks ambulance with sick child

MEMPHIS, TN -The Memphis Black Lives Matter rally shut down the I-40 bridge Sunday night with hundreds of protesters refusing to leave. Traffic could not go across, but paramedic Bobby Harrell with Crittenden EMS was determined to get to a child who was stuck on the bridge with his family.

"We received a call there was a child needing medical attention stuck in traffic up on the bridge and due to the protest going on the bridge the family was not able to get through traffic to get him to Le Bonheur,” Harrell said.

A photo shows parents handing the child off to paramedics on the bridge.

"The sheriff's department had to escort us up the wrong way of the interstate to the child," he said.

Harrell said after he had the very sick child in the ambulance, the driver had to go 25 minutes out of the way.

"We had to turn around and come back to West Memphis and cross over at MLK to get over to 55." 

Then from I-55, they headed to Le Bonheur Children's hospital. Harrell said he knew about the protest on the bridge, so he had a contingency plan to take patients to Arkansas hospitals and fly critical patients to Memphis. He didn't plan to end up on the bridge.

"It was kind of tense. I really didn't know what to expect going up there."

Harrell said he got the child to Le Bonheur just in time. The child’s father stayed with the family’s car and was eventually able to get there.