Jockeys' Guild calls for paramedics in all racetrack ambulances

The Jockeys’ Guild is urging racing commissions and the industry at large to support projects it considers critical to addressing riders’ injuries in the wake of the death last week of a jockey in Pennsylvania.

In a statement this week, the organization said racing commissions need to adopt a model rule that calls for all racetracks to employ paramedics in their ambulances, a regulation that was approved by an umbrella organization of commissions, the Association of Racing Commissioners International, seven years ago. The guild has argued that rules that allow racetracks to employ medical personnel without the experience and expertise of paramedics, such as emergency medical technicians, can put riders in danger in the first moments after a serious injury.

“Those first two to three minutes are critical in saving people’s lives,” said Terry Meyocks, the national manager of the guild, whose daughter is married to leading rider Javier Castellano. “Paramedics can save lives.”

The push by the Guild comes one week after Jose Luis Flores, a 57-year-old rider, was taken off life support following grievous injuries suffered four days earlier when his mount broke down during a race at Parx Racing in Pennsylvania.

Meyocks said he did not know how many states have adopted the model rule requiring paramedics, but he noted that the Pennsylvania rule does not explicitly require paramedics.

The guild statement also called on the industry to fund various initiatives supported by the guild, including its project to collect baseline data on riders to aid in the treatment of concussions and a permanent working group that would assess the effectiveness of the equipment used by riders.