Craig Chitty

Introduction

Craig Chitty is a former paramedic with the South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) whose career ended twice over: once in a criminal court, once before a professional regulator. On 5 August 2021 he lost control of an ambulance he was driving through Salfords, Surrey, leaving the road and colliding with Carmel Ryder, a member of the public waiting at a bus stop, who died from her injuries. At a criminal trial in October 2024 he was convicted of causing death by careless driving — and acquitted of the more serious charge of causing death by dangerous driving. He resigned from SECAmb the same month. At the end of September 2026, a Health & Care Professions Tribunal Service (HCPTS) panel weighing his fitness to practise accepted that he had shown “sincere and genuine remorse”, but found his insight insufficient and imposed a Striking Off Order.

Background Information

Chitty was working as a paramedic for SECAmb when the fatal incident occurred. On 5 August 2021 he was transporting a patient and colleagues to East Surrey Hospital in a non-emergency capacity — the vehicle’s siren and blue lights were not in use — when he lost control of the ambulance while driving through Salfords. The vehicle left the road and collided with Carmel Ryder, who was waiting at a bus stop. Chitty and two other paramedics inside the ambulance gave first aid, but Ryder sadly died as a result of multiple injuries.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Conviction plus regulatory erasure. Chitty was convicted of causing death by careless driving after a trial and separately struck off by the HCPTS. The criminal conviction is a matter of court record; the panel accepted remorse while finding insight insufficient. He was acquitted of the more serious dangerous-driving charge.

The criminal case went to trial in October 2024. The jury convicted Chitty of causing death by careless driving and acquitted him of causing death by dangerous driving. He was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, alongside 180 hours of unpaid work, disqualification from driving for three years and payment of a surcharge. He resigned from the ambulance service in October 2024, around the time of the conviction.

Public Reaction and Consequences

With the criminal process concluded, the regulatory one followed. At the end of September 2026 a hearing was held by the Health & Care Professions Tribunal Service to determine Chitty’s fitness to practise. The panel found that he had demonstrated “sincere and genuine remorse” for the tragic incident, as well as the “impact on the colleagues who were with him, his employer and the profession”. Its report stated that Chitty had been receiving counselling to process the incident and to work out how to move forward in a way that allows him to be of value and service to others.

Remorse, however, was not the panel’s only touchstone. It also considered the judge’s sentencing remarks from the criminal case, which stated: “prior to you losing control of the ambulance, there were a number of incidents of erratic driving, which must have alerted you to the fact you were not in a fit state to drive”. The panel believed that while Chitty had reflected on the incident, he had not addressed “the personal responsibility which he had, to recognise that he may not be fit to drive, and to stop driving accordingly”.

Current Status

Chitty has been struck off. Because of this “insufficient insight”, the panel felt the risk to the profession’s reputation was real and that he was “liable to present an unwarranted risk of harm to patients and members of the public”; it therefore imposed a Striking Off Order. As of the hearing he had been working as an Operational Assistant within an adult education centre — a role which allows him to “have an opportunity to rebuild his confidence” — and he had made clear he would not be able to work in an ambulance in a frontline role again.

A SECAmb spokesperson said: “Our thoughts and condolences remain with the family and loved ones of Carmel Ryder following this tragic incident.” The trust said it takes the safety of patients, colleagues and the public extremely seriously, and that in recent years it had introduced a number of measures to strengthen safe driving practices, “including enhanced driver training and awareness, targeted retraining, and a confidential reporting route for colleagues who have concerns about driving standards”. “We remain committed to continually improving safety across our service,” the spokesperson added.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The crash and its aftermath removed Chitty from the profession on two separate tracks. The conviction ended his employment — he resigned from SECAmb in October 2024 — and the six-month suspended sentence came with a three-year driving ban and 180 hours of unpaid work. The HCPTS process then closed off the partial return he had hoped for: he told the panel he would not be able to work in an ambulance in a frontline role, but asked to come back as a paramedic in a non-frontline post. The panel’s finding that he had not grasped the personal responsibility to recognise when he might not be fit to drive meant even that restricted return was rejected, and the Striking Off Order removes him from the register altogether.

Sources

• Get Surrey (Surrey Live), “Former Surrey paramedic ‘struck off’ after ambulance crash that killed woman,” Oct 1, 2026 — source