Communicating with First Responders

A week ago, my daughter was in an automobile accident on her way to the zoo. She and her staff did not appear to be injured, according to the report by the staff member who called to inform me of the accident. The police were not on the scene, and there was another automobile involved, so I called the police from home to report the accident and get help on the scene as soon as possible. Shortly after, my staff called me back and told me that the EMT's wanted to transport my daughter to the hospital to be examined because she could not respond to questions regarding her well-being. I determined that my daughter was not upset or crying, or indicating distress in any way. The airbags in the car had not deployed, and my daughter was seated in her restraint harness in the third row of our Suburban, while the staff had been located in the first and second rows and were fine. I asked to speak to the EMT, and asked him to allow my daughter to remain in the vehicle with her staff until I could pick them up. He said that he would have to take my daughter to the hospital because her staff did not have power of attorney to make decisions regarding her care, and because he could not verify that I was who I claimed to be. I told the EMT where to find the First Responder form that I had ordered from the autism society, and that was located in the fanny pack that always travels with my daughter and her staff. The form lists me as parent and legal guardian, and provides my contact information. I suggested that he call me back on the phone number listed on the form to verify who I was, but he would not listen. I explained that he would increase the chances of an aggressive tantrum that could result in injury to my daughter or others if he restrained her in an ambulance and that she was safer in her own car in her safety harness with familiar staff. I was only a 25 minute drive away from the scene of the accident. He refused to follow my instructions and insisted that my daughter and her staff leave the vehicle and travel in the ambulance to the nearest hospital and threatened to leave the staff behind if they did not come immediately. They were not permitted time to return to the car for my daughter's communication device, and had to leave it behind to be retrieved later. Ironically, when I arrived at the hospital, the nurse allowed me to refuse medical care for my daughter and to take her home without being required to show any proof of my identity or relationship to my daughter. She was, and is, fine. If I leave town, I always leave my daughter's staff written permission to make medical decisions for her in the event that I can not be reached. I am hesitant to do that when I am nearby. The First Responder form that is always with my daughter should have allowed anyone on the scene to call the phone number provided to assure them of my identity. How would I even know that the form existed and where to find it if I did not put it there? I think that these first responders put my daughter at greater risk by refusing to use simple common sense. I am not sure what the solution to this problem is. I will write a follow up post when I figure it out. Feedback from anyone who is familiar with this problem would be welcome. I really thought I had adequately prepared for emergencies by ordering and completing the form that is offered by the autism society, but when it was actually needed, it did not help.