What else could have gone wrong???

[akflightmedic]

Here is an interesting article. Amazing to say the least. Look at how long the extrication time was...does anyone think insufficient training had anything to do with this??

I love the final sentence of this article. When everything goes wrong, I guess its ok to say "Hey we are just volunteers doing the best we can"

Widow claims multiple failures by rescue workers in fatal accident

By THOMAS BROWN, T&D Staff Writer

Former Santee Police Officer Brian Keith Brown pleaded guilty in connection with the automobile collision that took the life of John Donald "Donnie" Stroman in 2002. But Stroman's wife says the people who tried to save her husband are also at fault.

In a lawsuit filed in federal court, Nancy Stroman says that many were negligent in responding to the collision that took her husband's life, from the agency that designed the intersection where the incident occurred to the rescue agencies that took an hour and 39 minutes to remove her husband from the automobile.

She paints a picture of chaos in her lawsuit, with rescue workers requesting, then sending back, then requesting again, a medical helicopter for her husband. The Hurst Jaws of Life ran out of gasoline. She had to be transported in the back of a pickup truck after the ambulance broke down.

According to police, Brown was driving a Santee police cruiser -- a 2000 Ford Crown Victoria -- east on S.C. Highway 210 on Oct. 31, 2002, on his way back to assist officers at an Elloree Halloween celebration. He struck the driver's side of a 1996 Plymouth Voyager minivan driven by Stroman's husband that had exited off Interstate 26 and was about to travel west on S.C. 210.

The agencies that responded to the scene included the Santee Police Department, Orangeburg County Emergency Medical Services, the Santee Fire Service and the now-defunct Cow Castle Volunteer Fire Department.

Stroman and her husband were airlifted to Palmetto Richland Hospital in Columbia. Stroman was admitted to the hospital in fair condition. Her husband died en route.

In August 2003, Stroman filed a lawsuit naming as defendants several agencies and individuals, including the Town of Santee; Orangeburg County; Orangeburg County Fire District aka Orangeburg County Fire Service; Cow Castle Volunteer Fire Department; Santee Fire Service District and the South Carolina Department of Transportation.

She is asking $1.2 million in damages for loss of consortium, wrongful death, survival of right of action and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

In her lawsuit, Stroman and her attorney allege that when the Orangeburg County Fire District aka the Orangeburg County Fire Service, the Cow Castle Volunteer Fire Department and the Santee Fire Service District arrived on the scene, they chose the option of mechanically and forcefully removing the roof, hatchback door and back passenger sliding door of the vehicle with the Jaws of Life.

People on scene asked emergency workers why they didn't move the town of Santee police cruiser from the side of the Stromans' vehicle so the couple could be removed more easily through the driver's side door, the lawsuit says. The lawsuit contends that emergency workers refused to consider the option of moving the cruiser.

According to the lawsuit, when emergency workers from the Orangeburg County Fire District and the Cow Castle Volunteer Fire Department attempted to start the Jaws of Life to begin the removal of the roof, hatchback door and the passenger sliding door, it failed to start. After repeated attempts to start it, the lawsuit contends that an official removed the gas cap and found that the tool was out of gas.

They were eventually able to start the Jaws of Life and proceeded to remove the roof, hatchback door and the sliding passenger door from the Stromans' vehicle.

According to the lawsuit, neither Stroman nor her husband were pinned within the passenger compartment of the vehicle and no part of the vehicle had to be removed from compressing either of their bodies.

The rescue workers later decided they would move the police cruiser and remove the Stromans from the vehicle through the driver's side door.

The lawsuit states that Donnie Stroman remained in the van for more than one hour and 39 minutes, the whole time consciously suffering excruciating physical, mental and emotional pain. Nancy Stroman was forced to endure more than 99 minutes of her husband's constant pleas of "what is taking them so long to get us out of here?" as they both lay helpless during the prolonged extrication, according to the lawsuit.

Nancy Stroman remained in the vehicle for more than two hours and thirteen minutes, also suffering excruciating physical, mental and emotional pain, she says. She suffered a torn descending thoracic aorta, a subarachnoid hemorrhage, left rib fractures, a right ankle fracture and various lacerations, contusions and abrasions.

Once the Stromans were extracted from the vehicle, the ambulance in which they were being transported broke down. Nancy Stroman was treated and transported in the back of a pickup truck to the site of the Medivac helicopter.

The lawsuit charges emergency workers called and then cancelled the helicopter. It had to be called again to transport the couple to a Columbia hospital.

Brown entered a plea of guilty to reckless homicide before Judge James Williams in General Sessions Court on June 6, 2006. He was sentenced to seven years, suspended to three years probation.

In the lawsuit, Stroman and her attorney also name the South Carolina Department of Public Safety and the South Carolina Department of Transportation.

They are charged with "negligently and recklessly designing the S.C. 210/Interstate 26 overpass so as to produce insufficient sight distance to allow for the safe operation of vehicles," and failing to place appropriate signs, signals, warning devices and illumination devices in the area of the overpass.

In a response to the allegations of the Stroman lawsuit, Orangeburg County, Orangeburg County Fire District and Cow Castle Volunteer Fire Department answered that the Highway Patrol or medical care providers that were not employed by them who gave medical direction or treatment either during or after the time that they rendered their services, or both, may have negligently damaged the Stromans.

And in a later answer to an amended complaint, they categorically deny all the allegations of Nancy Stroman's complaint.

Pete Poore of the S.C. Department of Transportation said his department does not comment on any case that is under litigation. Sid Gaulden of the S.C. Department of Public Safety also refused any comment on the case for the same reason.

When asked for comment on the case, Gene Ball, Orangeburg County Fire System Coordinator, said, "I have no other comment than to say, as volunteers, we do the best we can to help as many people as we can. We try, but we're just people."

T&D Staff Writer Thomas Brown can be reached by e-mail at tbrown@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5532. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

[streetsmart]

It does sound like insufficient training. I did note that there was no mention of EMS personnel stabilizing the victims while rescue was performing the prolonged extrication. I wonder if EMS was present and if the patients were truly in severe pain, why pain management was not considered. Sounds like poor team work all around --IF, the article is accurate.

[SirHumpsalot]

I know you are suppose to back up fellow FF's but if this article is true..then a lot of people should be released from their duties.

The Hurst was out of gas??? how the hell can that happen, paid or volly you are to check your equipment at the beginning of each day are you not?

and where I am from one the helicopter is in the air responding they generally do not get canceled unless there is a dramatic change in the person's condition.

I realize the protocols and SOP's are different in each place but where i come from if a extrication is going to or has the probability of going beyond 40 min and the patient is serious the helicopter is automatically requested.

with multiple patients hurt I am assuming there are multiple ambulances on scene..why were they transporting in a pick up truck? I am sure there was a better alternative. it sounds like he was the first to go as per triage at the scene and still that equipment was not available.

however i do agree that moving the vehicle may not have been a wise choice and I may have chosen the same option as they did.

And the last line disturbed me the worse about (paraphrasing) "Well we are only volunteers" Bull s Hit ..... It does not matter if you are paid or volunteer it should be your responsibility to make sure you are trained as best as you can...its not like you pay for the training..... My care or services I receive from emergency services should not differ at all not matter what type of dept is responding.

Don't get me wrong I like volunteers and i think the Country would be screwed without them but, volunteers have to step up to the plate and take their swing as the rest..

I hope someone steps in and makes some MAJOR changes in the fire and ems in that area.

[JakeEMTP]

I hate to say it. If the accuser's allegations are accurate, then this sounds like Fire's version of the Keystone Kops. Are we truly to believe by simply removing the cruiser would allow for a faster and safer extraction of these people and was dismissed, or was it Whackers R Us trying out the Jaws of Life just because it's a cool tool.

I hope all that went wrong on this call was the result of Murphy's Law. Or is it another example of why there should be paid, professional staff that can devote all their energy into training and the job at hand instead of every Tuesday night.

Only time will tell. this is a case I would like to follow up on, if only for my own curiosity.

[AZCEP]

Not to devolve into the whole "Volunteer vs. Paid" debate, but you are allowed to be a person when you are a volunteer, but not when you are paid?

This is a pretty good argument against the use of volunteer services, but that has been discussed elsewhere.

[Kansas Stan]

Looks like a pretty bad deal all the way around but one thing I'd point out about the extrication part....they don't give a lot of details about it and without seeing what they were up against, my initial thought is this: it is (ordinarily...with a good crew and properly functioning jaws) sooooo quick and easy to pop a door and flap the roof for a much safer and easier extrication. Don't know as I understand removing roof, sliding door and rear hatch though. As far as entry from where the other car was....I'm on the FD's side on this unless the other vehicle is just in the way and in no way impaled or on top/connected to the patient's car. I can definately see patient's being compromised if you're talking pulling cars apart. Overall though, I gotta agree...it looks pretty bad for those involved

[Ghettomedic351]

But you have to love the catchy name of Cow Castle Vol.Fire Dept........is that not somewhere between Hooterville and Mayberry? Perhaps there is a reason Cow Castle is now defunct if they performed this well everytime they responded.

[Punisher]

Speaking of poorly chosen department names, one of our nearby departments is named Dick Johnson Township VFD. Normally that's dispatched as "DJ Volunteers" to avoid snickering from the dispatchers. A couple of the guys on the department that I know say they get asked all sorts of inappropriate questions (maybe a little good natured ribbing?):

"Do you all have purple fire helmets?"

"How quickly do you come? To calls I mean?"

"The boys from that department really prefer it hot and wet. I mean you can't send in Dick Johnson unless it's hot and wet can you?"

[mediccjh]

One really cannot criticize the extrication unless we have pictures of the crash.

That being said, if they did screw up and caused his death by delaying care, and he not having immediate life-threatening injuries, then they all need to go.

[Ridryder 911]

I agree, we do not know the extent of the crash, I too have seen some that was so severely mangled, that delayed extrication was required. Unfortunately, there are several other factors that paints a picture of gross negligence, and incompetence, not poor training or lack of.

Let's simplify this by looking at the basic factors

Duty to respond - Yes

Damage/death occurred - Yes

Such action caused death- Possible

Is action in accordance of standards and other equally trained would perform - No

hmmm Don't look to good for the home team... better get that check book out. Cancelling air lift on a severely critical patient, then transporting and the ambulance broke down then in a pick-up ? WTF ?.. Not having gas in a hydraulic tool?.. Not knowing how to properly extricate?..

The nail in the coffin is the excuse or even lack of one.. we do the best we could. Really? Well for that million dollars the town could had a real EMS and Fire.. sorry, the point is again not about the feelings of the volunteers.. it is about patient care. Paid or volunteer...

Now the citizens of that small community will have to suffer, with increased taxes, probably dissolve of their EMS, etc... to pay off the suit. When all could had been resolved with responsible persons, maintenance, and proper education...

Sorry, this tragic event occurred.. worst, this type of incidence occurs daily, we just don't hear about it.

R/r 911