SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- The state investigation into three San Antonio paramedics is now over. It is fallout from their failure to treat 23-year-old Erica Smith, who was left dying at an accident scene last December.

State investigators had initially proposed suspending the paramedics' certifications for a year, but they cut that time in half after a closed door hearing.

It was last December when Erica Smith lay under a yellow tarp. She was still breathing, but the paramedics had moved on to try and save others involved in the crash.

Public outrage over the case forced San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood to move the EMTs to non-medical jobs.

Now, paramedics Jeremy Huntsman, William Bullock and Mike Gardner will have their certifications suspended for six months.

They must also complete specialized training in four areas: Hypothermia, mass casualty and triage incidents, head injuries and protocols on pronouncing a patient dead on arrival.

After that, they will be on probation for six more months.

A spokesperson from the State Department of Health Services explained the reduction in suspension saying, "They had no previous disciplinary incidents. And, they understand their mistakes and are determined to learn from them."

The head of the San Antonio Fire Fighters Association says the paramedics are satisfied they got to tell their side of the story about what happened.

"They think the state was very reasonable," says Chris Steele, president of the association. "The state heard them out and identified with some of the issues that they communicated with them. And so they're satisfied."

The state has also dropped its planned reprimand for the fourth paramedic, Michael Collins, who never went over to Smith and checked on her, unlike the others.

We tried to reach Fire Chief Charles Hood to get his reaction, but we did not get a call back.

Republished with permission of WOAI-TV.

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