(BrightPress.org) – An unidentified man experiencing a medical emergency was booted from an ambulance after he allegedly mistreated the EMTs attempting to help him. The man then collapsed on the sidewalk while paramedics and police watched. He passed away two weeks after the incident and family are suggesting the lack of care and mistreatment led to his death. His exact cause of death wasn’t provided.
Paramedics accused the man of lunging at them, being combative, and grabbing one of the female EMTs. The man explained that he couldn’t breathe and was panicked. Responding officers instructed him to get out of the ambulance amid continued requests for transportation to the hospital.
The EMT told the responding officer that she didn’t know what was wrong with the man, but he was refusing to exit the vehicle. The man continued to breathe heavily and complain, but the EMT chastised him for jumping at them.
Ultimately he exited the ambulance and was left on the sidewalk. He then collapsed on the sidewalk and was motionless for over two minutes before receiving aid. The man died more than two weeks later, according to Rochester, New York, Mayor Malik Evans.
Evans said there would be an independent review and investigation of the events of that evening in addition to Rochester Police Chief David Smith calling for an internal police department review. Evans said that there were lessons “for all involved” and suggested that they need to “get to the bottom of this.”
Seemingly unaware that combative patients can be denied service by EMTs and emergency medical personnel for their own safety, Evans suggested that something wrong had occurred and that it must not happen again without elucidating what precisely that was.
Police were originally called because the man had grabbed one of the female EMTs who was much smaller than himself and refused to let go for several moments. The mayor described the treatment of the man as inhumane while seemingly ignoring the alleged assault complaints.
The ambulance company, AMR, agreed to an investigation to determine why the man was denied care and how to improve responses from their personnel when confronted with combative patients.
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