Why would you deny someone medical attention based on an assumption?
Crystle Galloway died 3 days after having a stroke. Just six days after giving birth to her son, the 30-year-old mother of 3 was found by her mother on July 4, 2018 unresponsive in a bathtub. She became conscious a short time later when her mother called 911. She told them she was breathing but drooling at the mouth.
When the paramedics showed up, instead of giving her medical attention promptly, they began to question if the family could afford the the cost of riding in the ambulance. Nicole Black said, “My daughter begged for her life,” she said. “The only thing they were worried about was my daughter had a new baby and she couldn’t afford an ambulance.”
Black said that paramedics continued to have conversation about transporting her daughter and she got fed up and decided to take her daughter to the ER herself. She told ABC News “The whole conversation as the EMS drivers put my child in my car was that [it] was best for us because we couldn’t afford an ambulance,” she told the news station. “My daughter begged for her life, she begged!”
When she arrived to the hospital, they did a scan which revealed Galloway’s brain was bleeding, and she was then airlifted to Tampa General Hospital. She fell into a coma and passed away on July 9, just days before her 31st birthday.
The paramedics were suspended but say that when they arrived they Galloway’s mother only asked for them to help bring her downstairs so she could transport her daughter herself. The Hillsborough county sheriff says that the paramedics would have transported Galloway if they felt it was urgent need when they arrived.
In a statement to People the sheriff says:
An investigation into the conduct of the medics was launched days after the incident, and Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill told reporters during a press conference on Monday that while the medics “did a lot of things wrong,” they found no evidence that the medics engaged in any conversation about ambulance cost with Black.
“There were discussions between the mother and the deputies concerning cost, primarily driven by questions from the mother, which may have led to her conclusion or statements that she wanted to transport her daughter,” Merrill said. “My guys did a lot of things wrong here, and we take responsibility. From the record I have, that’s not one of the things they did wrong.”
But the county’s investigation into the matter found that Morris and three other medics were in “gross neglect of duty” after they failed to properly check Galloway’s vital signs.
The department concluded that the medics did not perform their duties and were negligent. The women were supposed to have signed an informed consent form if transporting was denied, however the document was not offered. Lt. Morris, 36; Fire Medic Justin Sweeney, 36; Fire Medic Andrew J. Martin, 28; and Acting Lt. Cortney Barton, 38 — have all been suspended with pay.
The employment status of the medics will be determined in a disciplinary hearing on Tuesday, July 31.
