# An interesting lawsuit.....



## Flight-LP (Mar 8, 2007)

This was recently posted on flightweb, thought it would be an interesting topic of conversation here also. The article itself is interesting, but what I was really intruiged by was the reader comments at the end. Gee people, tell us what you really think about us!!!!!!!! 


http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2007/mar/04/lawsuit_challenges_colliers_weight_rule_transporti/ 

Thoughts??????????


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## Ridryder911 (Mar 9, 2007)

As I discussed in another forum, this is a frivolous law suit. Albeit, the EMS should not had broke down, there is no way to fly such weighted person. Next thing we will have to start dispatching Sky Crane to lift these mega persons. Thank Go, she had a gastric by-pass performed she was now down to > 300 pounds! 

When I first started in EMS a person > 200 pounds was a big person. Now, we have stretchers that are weight tested to a TON ! Now, as I have been quoted ..." that is a lot of lettuce !"... I am by far not a skinny person, but that is my own fault (although I am loosing it) as it is as their own as well. The proverbial "thyroid" etc.. excuses is all it is, there are very FEW that have hypothyroidism; rather they have double jointed elbows that can shove that food in. I am sick and tired of lifting their fat arses and hear the whining of how hospitals don't accommodate them. *****ing and moaning that hospitals should have open CT scanners, double wide wheel chairs.. etc.. Sorry, it is called stop ingesting more than you burn off.. period. 

Now, in this B.S. law suit, that is trying to make pity on that she would had probably died any way due injuries sustained in the MVC, As well as her MORBIDITY obesity (there is a reason they call it that) can cause more problems than the regular healthy patient, the same as comparing one with DM, COPD, etc... pre existing factors. 

I hope the ambulance chasing lawyer has to bite the big one and pay out of his pocket if they dismiss this... As well as they family have to realize life is a b*tch: and it sucks sometimes grabbing an attorney immediately is not an answer!

R/r 911


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## Recycled Words (Mar 9, 2007)

This is a ridiculous lawsuit! If the woman weighs 400 lbs, she can't expect to be flown to the hospital. The weight limit is completely valid, and while it sucks that the ambulance broke down, they shouldn't be liable for that woman's death


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## Anomalous (Mar 9, 2007)

I'd rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6.


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## Epi-do (Mar 9, 2007)

Wow!  It really is a shame that we don't have some way to stop frivilous lawsuits before they get to the judge.  This is definately an ambulance chaser hoping to make a quick dollar.  Every single aircraft out there has weight restrictions based upon the design of the craft, the amount of fuel it carries, etc.  It is a pretty black and white assessment - if something/someone is going to put the craft over that limit it doesn't fly.

As for the ambulance breaking down - well, it happens.  I am willing to bet that you can find "problems" within the maintenence records for almost every single ambulance on the road.  Trucks start out the shift fine and break down unexpectedly, just like POVs.  Unfortunately, that happened when this crew had a patient on board.  They aren't the first crew this has happened to, and they most certainly won't be the last.  

Yes, it is unfortunate that this woman died, but it sounds like there were many more factors working against her than a bird that wouldn't fly her and an ambulance that broke down.


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## BossyCow (Mar 9, 2007)

We had a frequent flier so large she required the removal of all the stretcher hardware from the back of a rig, then a mattress (her own because we didn't have one large enough) was placed on the floor of the ambulance.  At the ER we had to call ahead and have the shipping and receiving department forklift her into the ER where they removed two beds from a room and placed her mattress on the floor.  

When she required transfer to Seattle, (several times by my count), she was flown via cargo plane out of B.C.  as there was no local plane able to accomodate her weight.  

There were numerous back, knee and shoulder injuries from moving her around.  People will whine about what we didn't do, but isn't the first rule of EMS Scene Safety?  Can we treat this patient without injury to self?


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## Airwaygoddess (Mar 10, 2007)

Even more of a reason for ambulance companies public and private to find the funds to by the equipment needed to take care of these big patients.  In the long run, the patients get the care that is needed and the EMS and fire service folks have got the proper equiptment to do their jobs and not get hurt.-_-


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## Airwaygoddess (Mar 10, 2007)

The same also needs to be done for the hospitals.-_-


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## Airwaygoddess (Mar 10, 2007)

Not to mention the CYA clause.........


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## Ridryder911 (Mar 10, 2007)

How about getting clauses that have an escape clause .. "Your too freakin big to treat !" ... 

I know on cardiac arrest with morbid obese, I may call in and get an a verbal DNR. The reason is simple, most of the time we may not even have enough med.'s to even get the first round through.. consider a 250kg patient, and then compare bioimpendance of the true defibrillation of amount of joules actually reaching cardiac tissue. Again, one does not have to wonder why they are in an arrest situation. 

R/r 911


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## Recycled Words (Mar 10, 2007)

Airwaygoddess said:


> Even more of a reason for ambulance companies public and private to find the funds to by the equipment needed to take care of these big patients.  In the long run, the patients get the care that is needed and the EMS and fire service folks have got the proper equiptment to do their jobs and not get hurt.-_-



I don't think it should be expected of EMS to get the equipment to deal with patients who are morbidly obese. If someone doesn't fit on a stretcher, they have bigger issues than that. Equipment is expensive. Accomodating such patients would mean replacing all our current stretchers which would mean having to adjust the ambulance itself, and what about lifting? Are we expected to lift someone that big now?

My corps will usually call FD if someone is too big for us to lift, but should that have to become a regular occurance?


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## MedicPrincess (Mar 10, 2007)

> The ambulance had significant maintenance issues in the past, electrical problems, transmission problems, engine problems,” Hanlon said. “That is our review of the previous maintenance records.”


 
Ok this particular quote hits so close to home for me.  My regular unit has been "inservice" for 1 1/2 years now.  It has not been on the road for more than 2 weeks at a time YET!  We mark it on the calander when we get it back and when it goes.  

But to the point...

Our helicopters have had to refuse patients because of size before.  Its really an uncomfortable situation.  We try to notify them before they launch of "oversize" patients so they aren't put in that situation in front of the patient.


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## fm_emt (Mar 11, 2007)

EMTPrincess said:


> Ok this particular quote hits so close to home for me.  My regular unit has been "inservice" for 1 1/2 years now.  It has not been on the road for more than 2 weeks at a time YET!  We mark it on the calander when we get it back and when it goes.



Well, yeah, but you guys seem to have some Cajun voodoo curse on some of your rigs..


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