Call Kurtis Investigates: Can An Ambulance Take Your Kids If You Say No?

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Peter Jan was driving down Marconi Avenue with his 12-year-old daughter Jade in the passenger seat when he lost control of the car and crashed into a fence.

"I was in too much shock to speak," said Jade.

Peter says Jade showed no signs of being hurt.

"She was a little confused, and she was a little shocked the accident happened, but otherwise she was fine," said Peter.

Peter says he told the Sacramento Metro paramedics not to transport Jade after a car crash, but he says they took her anyway.

The Jans have Kaiser Insurance and Peter said he told the paramedics he could take her to Kaiser which was nearby. But instead, they took her by ambulance to the U-C Davis Trauma Center.

Peter says, "That's after I told them I don't want them to take her. They told me it's not my decision to make."

Fortunately Jade was just fine, but the bill to figure that out was massive, and Peter says unnecessary, "$24,000 for telling somebody there's nothing wrong with them."

Peter says Sac Metro Fire never should've taken her.

"We don't kidnap people," said Capt. Michelle Eidam of Sacramento Metro Fire.

Eidam couldn't talk about this case for privacy reasons, but says first responders can't always see severe injuries.

Eidam says you do have a right to say, "Don't transport me," unless you're impaired or don't have the mental capacity to make that decision.

"If you have an impaired capacity to understand what's going on, we're going to take that person to the hospital," said Eidam.

But Peter maintains, his daughter shouldn't have been taken, "They should not be allowed to do this to anybody."

According to a Sac Metro Fire report, they say Peter never declined transport for his daughter—something he says isn't true—and first responders stated that Jade acted as if she might fall or faint.

Even though Kaiser was nearby, it doesn't have a trauma center, but UC Davis does.

Fortunately, Peter's insurance covered the ambulance and out-of-network hospital bill.

By the way, if you're taken to an out-of-network hospital after an emergency by law, you're covered and will pay the same as if it was in network.