Philadelphia man sues city after father suffers medical emergency; calls for EMS procedure investigation
Man sues city of Philadelphia after father suffers medical emergency
A Philadelphia man is suing the City of Philadelphia claiming EMS workers knocked and worked away from his father’s North Philly apartment after his father called for help and was stricken inside.
PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia man is suing the City of Philadelphia claiming EMS workers knocked and worked away from his father’s North Philly apartment after his father called for help and was stricken inside.
FOX 29 spoke to the victim's family and their lawyer.
What we know:
According to the lawsuit, it was early morning on April 24 last year when 57-year-old Robert Santiago had a medical emergency inside his N. Fairhill Street, North Philly home.
He called for help using a MedScope America emergency alert button, prompting two Philadelphia EMS workers to arrive in an ambulance just before 3 a.m.
Santiago’s upstairs neighbor says she saw the EMS workers arrive.
Mariem Chakir said, "it looked like it was two girls just hanging out in the ambulance like late night. So they go to the door, they just knock very lightly three times that’s it."
In video provided by the family’s law firm, and highlighted in FOX 29’s broadcast report, Chakir claims she popped her head out the window and directed the EMS team to Santiago’s door.
As the video seems to show, an EMS worker knocks, receives no answer, and leaves.
Santiago’s body was found the next day by his son who said, "I found him in a rigor mortis state where his arm was still holding onto the button on the floor right by small stairs."
Chakir and Santiago entered the conference room of a center city law firm Tuesday to call for Mayor Parker to open an investigation on EMS procedures in non-response door knocks like this one. And to sue the city.
What they're saying:
"We all pay for these services and to simply walk away without trying to do any life-saving procedures without gaining forceful access entry for people who are more than likely incapacitated, due to medical distress, is simply unacceptable," the family’s attorney, Emeka Igwe, said.
Philadelphia declined comment on pending litigation.
A source familiar with EMS procedures told FOX 29 that EMS crews will often call back to fire dispatch and ask the medical alert company to tell their client to open the door.
This claim comes two weeks after a similar suit by the same firm for the family of a 74-year-old woman who died after EMS left when they were unable to get into her apartment.
Santiago Jr. said he wants, "an apology to begin with and some change to be had something where this doesn’t happen to someone else."
The Source: The information in this story is from family attorney Emeka Igwe, Robert Santiago's family and his neighbor.