CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The new interim Kanawha County Emergency Ambulance Authority executive director says he’s already gotten to work.
Jason Sergent was named by the KCEAA Board of Directors Thursday evening to replace Monica Mason, who resigned. Sergent had been serving as a paramedic and the authority’s director of operations.
“I’ve been meeting with all of my leadership team, the management of the education this (Friday) morning, and they’re all committed to providing the best education, the best leadership, the most safe operations that we can possibly provide,” Sergent said on MetroNews “Midday.”
Mason’s resignation announcement came abruptly. She had served as executive director since July 2021.
Sergent said he went to work Thursday, expecting to go about his business as usual. He heard the resignation news, then learned that the authority was asking him to fill in as the interim.
The decision to accept the role was a no-brainer, Sergent said.
“My immediate reaction was, I’ve committed my entire adult life to this place, and if that’s what’s needed of me right now, that’s what I’m going to give,” Sergent said.
While he’s the new executive director, Sergent said the goals of the KCEAA are unchanging.
“Continue the mission of providing the best EMS organization to the citizens of Kanawha County that we can possibly provide,” Sergent said.
He said this is a transition period for the authority, but he feels supported by the board, the Kanawha County Commission, and others. Sergent said he’s invested in serving the people of the county.
“My children work and live in Kanawha County, (along with) my wife of over 30 years, my mom and dad, aunts, uncles, cousins, lots of friends and loved ones,” Sergent said. “I definitely have an interest in my heart to make sure that they have the best EMS provided for them, as well as the rest of the citizens of Kanawha County.”
Sergent’s appointment comes during a period of turmoil for the authority. The high-profile death last month of John Lucas, 45, of Elkview, led to criticisms of the authority. Lucas died in the early morning hours of April 16 after he was struck by a Kanawha County ambulance.
The ambulance driver, Alyssa Middleton, 19, pleaded not guilty to voluntary manslaughter and other felony charges earlier this month. Middleton’s trial is set to begin August 17.
Sergent expressed his condolences to Lucas’ family and friends.
“It is a very unfortunate incident, and my heart goes out to everyone who was affected by that,” Sergent said.
Initial reports included statements from the two-member female crew that Lucas was allegedly lurking around the ambulance station in Elkview in the early morning hours and may have been in possession of a knife. Surveillance video in the area showed Lucas entering the roadway as the ambulance approached. The ambulance appears to have stopped and then moved forward after making contact with Lucas, who fell beneath the front of the vehicle. He was dragged for more than a mile.
He was found critically injured along U.S. Route 119 and died a short time later. An arm was severed from his body.
Lucas family attorney Scott Summers said last month that many errors were made during the tragic 35-minute sequence.
“One thing that we have learned for certain is there were multiple failures by multiple people along this entire trajectory of this case,” Summers said. “That if any one of them had not been a failure, John Lucas likely would be alive today.”
“They have an EMS crew, that, for whatever reason, made a choice to run over him, and then keep going,” Summers continued. “Once they thought he was under the ambulance, they continued to keep going. Either there was a horrible failure in training, or there was a horrible disregard for that training.”
When asked about why two young adults were by themselves in the ambulance, Sergent said that was not out of the ordinary. He said EMS workers begin working out in the field as young as 18 years old. Sergent alluded to the breakdown occurring in training and said the KCEAA will emphasize that going forward.
“We just have to make sure that they’re getting the education and the preparedness that they need, and that there’s safety nets there, in place,” Sergent said. “We’ve had a lot of discussions about making sure that everybody’s aware of what the safety nets are, when they run into situations where they’re not sure how to proceed.”