One of our founding attorneys, Attorney Joseph Morris, recently litigated an ambulance negligence case where improper care led to a man’s death. Attorney Morris represented the family of the deceased man when he failed to receive prompt care after calling 911 for the treatment of a heart attack. The ambulance sent to the scene was ultimately unqualified and failed to save the man’s life.
Attorney Morris’s client called 911 and asked them to send an ambulance to his house because he believed he was having a heart attack. He had suffered a heart attack before, so he was able to recognize the symptoms and call for the appropriate help. An ambulance was sent to the house, but the man ultimately died. The family contacted Attorney Morris for help and filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of their loved one. Once Attorney Morris began investigating the circumstances of the man’s death, he discovered that the ambulance company exhibited improper care by staffing an underqualified ambulance crew.
Ambulance companies are expected to fulfill a certain standard of care and must be properly trained to handle medical emergencies. When an ambulance is called to a heart attack victim, the ambulance crew must include at least one EMT. EMTs, or Emergency Medical Technicians, are trained to respond to emergency medical situations and have the necessary knowledge and experience to help heart attack victims.
The ambulance company that responded to Attorney Morris’s client’s call was under contract with the county to provide an EMT on board for all calls. However, none of the ambulance crew called to Attorney Morris’s client’s house was an EMT. As a result, the crew requested the assistance of another ambulance, rather than taking the man to the hospital under the appropriate care of an EMT in the first place. This delay in care and transportation ultimately led to the man’s death. Since this lawsuit, the company has ceased operating in the county where Attorney Morris’s client and his family lived.
If you or someone you love was seriously injured or died as a result of doctor, nurse, EMT, or medical staff negligence, our firm is here to help.
Contact Morris, Andrews, Talmadge & Driggers, LLC to discuss your case with our Dothan personal injury lawyers.
