JEMS.com News

Updated 3/8 @ 11:20am ET -- A veteran Bensalem, Pennsylvania Paramedic died Sunday night after suffering an injury sustained while chasing a man he was responding to help, police and local media report.

At about 7 p.m. Sunday, EMS and police units were dispatched to a male with a reported mental illness (initially reported by WPVI as a possible suicidal subject). The medic, identified Monday morning as Daniel McIntosh, was pronounced dead at an area hospital.

An interview on NBC Philadelphia with police Sgt. Andrew Aninsman reported that medics approached the individual and one of the medics sustained a 'severe injury' but that no weapon was believed to be involved. The individual was reported to have been fleeing the scene at the time of the encounter and that McIntosh gave chase.

McIntosh is from Bensalem Emergency Medical Services in Bucks County. The organization's Web site listed McIntosh as an EMT-Paramedic assigned to Station 186. He'd been with the department since 1998. The 39-year-old medic has been with the organization since 1998 and is married with two daughters, ages 1 and 5.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Monday morning that McIntosh suffered a head injury. They said he was also a part-time police officer and a tactical medic. It was not immediately clear if the injury was the result of a fall or interaction with the patient. An autopsy was pending to determine the actual cause of death.

"Sometimes you just don't know what is going to happen," PhillyFireNews.com News Editor Steve Skipton told users of the site's forum Sunday night. "I teach new EMT's and preach scene safety on every response well this brings that point home that no calls are 'routine'. Be safe"

Police say the unidentified suspect has a history of mental illness and is being evaluated at a hospital, according to the Associated Press.

JEMS.com will have further details on this story as new information becomes available.