DrParasite
The fire extinguisher is not just for show
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Paramedic under investigation for death of schizophrenic patient
Paul Tarashuk was having schizophrenic episode when he was picked up by police on Interstate 95 and dropped off at the nearest gas station
www.ems1.com
I did a search, and didn't find any previous threads on this topic. In a nutshell, EMS gets called for an EDP, EDP doesn't get transported, and a few hours later gets hit by a car and dies.
Taking the emotional outrage out of the picture (person leave ambulance, and is now dead), as well as removing the benefit of hindsight being 20/20, I'm having issues with this entire situation.
1) should every potential mental health patient be forced to be transported by EMS? don't think so. We can encourage it, but force them to go if they don't want to? people have the right to make stupid decision regarding their healthcare.
2) Does EMS have the legal authority do make this decision? In most places, no; this is a decision that is made by law enforcement.
3) While the patient wasn't speaking, he was responding to them. Apparently they performed a less than stellar exam on the patient. But did this result in his death? doubtful.
4) There are a lot of inaccurate statements being made in the media. If the "patient" refuses to be transported, that is his right (people have the right to make stupid choices). just because an ambulance is called, doesn't mean the person is supposed to be transported to the hospital. if the person isn't transported, it isn't the responsibility of EMS where he goes after he leaves the ambulance.
5) the paramedic's boss tells her "shut up or i'll send you home," and she responds "go ahead and send me home," which gets her fired. I would have told the boss "I'm going to have a chat with human resources about how you are treating your subordinates", and gotten up and left. That's grossly disrespectful for a supervisor to say to a subordinate.
It's likely this patient was abandoned by the EMS crew. That's what the state found, and it was likely appropriate, and she was disciplined appropriately. And now you have SJW getting involved, and she's going to be put through hell again....
I do have an issue with the deputy taking a man with no shirt, shoes, or wallet, driving 18 miles, and dropping him off at a closed gas station in the middle of the night. and while the paramedic got a week's suspension for her role in this incident, there has been no action taken against him.
And now the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is supposedly investigating a paramedic, who was already investigated by the state? I didn't know a LE enforcement agency has authority over EMS personnel
I-TEAM UPDATE: Paramedic in I-95 case fired as SLED investigates how EMS workers let a man walk away from care
A paramedic is now without a job eight months after Paul Tarashuk died. SLED is now also investigating what happened.
www.wrdw.com