Couple Charged In 8 Year Old's Death

Sasha

Forum Chief
Messages
7,667
Reaction score
11
Points
0
I found this while looking for the San Antonio girl that Vent had refreneced in the organ donation thread.

It's pretty sad that an EMT didn't recognize the need for treatment in his own daughter.

Couple Charged in 8 Year Old Girl's Death
Full Article: http://www.mysanantonio.com/community/northeast/Schertz_couple_chargedin_8-year-old_girls_death.html
Authorities arrested David Neil Brasse, a San Antonio emergency medical technician, and his fiancé, Samantha Amity Britain last week, on charges of criminally negligent homicide in the Feb. 5 death of Sarah Brasse, David Brasse's daughter. Both of them were taken to the Guadalupe County Jail, where each of them was being held on a $1 million bond. Criminally negligent homicide is a state jail felony.

The arrests were a result of an emergency call police received at 6:10 p.m. on Feb. 5 in the 1000 block of White Wing in Schertz. According to the arrest warrant submitted by the Schertz Police Department, when police and EMTs arrived at the residence they found the girl's body in center of her bedroom on the floor, already stiff with rigor, showing signs of lividity and “cold to the touch.” The child was immediately transported to Northeast Medical Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 6:50 p.m.
 
It's pretty sad that an EMT didn't recognize the need for treatment in his own daughter.

Keep in mind that kids compensate really well for a while before taking a nose dive. Also, depending upon the child's ability to tolerate pain, and several other things, it may not have initially appeared as if the child required additional attention. Granted, given what the article states, there sounds as if alot more was going on in this situation, but we are talking about a newspaper article that, as we all know, does not present 100% of the facts in an unbiased manner. None the less, it is tragic that a little girl died from something that could have been treated.

I can tell you that a couple years ago my son almost ended up needing to go to the ER and I was hesitant to take him to the doctor that morning. It was the Wednesday morning of Thanksgiving week and he had appeared to have a cold for about a week. It wasn't getting any better, and since the office was going to be closed until the following Monday, I decided to go ahead and have him seen, just to be safe. He was running around the house and playing, like nothing was wrong. He didn't appear to be in any distress, just looked like a kid that had a nose that was really congested so he was breathing through his mouth.

We got to the doctor, and his breath sounds were so tight he was barely moving any air at all. His color was still good, and he was still acting as if he didn't really feel bad at all. He received a Xoponex treatment and his breath sounds improved, but he now had wheezes. He was given a second treatment, and I was told if he didn't open up, he would have to go to the Er. Fortunately, the second treatment did the trick. We went home with multiple prescriptions and were told to take him to the ER over the weekend if he got the least little bit worse.

I tell you this because, if it hadn't been a holiday weekend, I am positive I wouldn't have taken him to the doctor at that point. I honestly didn't think he really needed to go. After getting there and the doctor looking at him, I felt terrible about it. Kids can be tricky, and all thiings are not always as they appear with them.
 
There's a big difference then having a cold and vomitting and diarrhea for at least two days prior. It doesn't take a genius to realize that the child is going to get dehydrated, and it doesn't take a genius to realize that dehydration is bad. As an EMT he should be able to understand how many problems and complications abdominal pain can present with.

As a parent, you're not expected to check lung sounds. A runny nose is something expected in child hood.

Maybe I'm just horribly judgemental but I think it's very sad, and I wonder if he could not adequately asses his own child, how good of an EMT was he?
 
Maybe I'm just horribly judgemental but I think it's very sad, and I wonder if he could not adequately asses his own child, how good of an EMT was he?
San Antonio is an all ALS, fire department run system. If he's an EMT, he's either a transfer jockey or a rural volly. Either way, these are not people that we generally expect to have stellar assessment and diagnostic skills.
 
Maybe I'm just horribly judgemental but I think it's very sad, and I wonder if he could not adequately asses his own child, how good of an EMT was he?

Keep in mind that it is frowned upon for doctor's to treat their own family members. I am sure a big reason for that is because of the emotional attachment you have to your family and how it affects your ability to be objective. The same would go for an EMT or medic, I would think. It isn't unusual to come across stories where someone was unable to act appropriately when faced with an emergency involving a family member.

I am not trying to make excuses for this guy, just trying to provide possible explanations as to why initially nothing was done for his daughter. Obviously, there is enough evidence for the prosecutor to decide to charge them with neglect, but I am sure there is more to this story that what is being reported.
 
Back
Top