Woman sues ambulance company after sexual assault

[Bloom-IUEMT]

Try and stick to what's been said, not what you think/want to have been said.........I suppose you're right though; really, nobody should care that this happened, or about any of the other screwups that have made it into the news.

You should practice what you preach--- I didn't say no one should care about this incident. You assume I don't care because I made one joke about one little thing that was said in the article. How does that equate to not caring? Like I said, I deal with my problems differently than you choose to. Doesn't mean I'm right, doesn't mean I'm wrong, doesn't mean I'm an "bozo."
Furthermore, just because you didn't say you thought this incident was catastrophic doesn't you don't come off as feeling that way based on how you react to people's comments. You are with all due respect, acting very immature (by insulting people) and taking this way too seriously. I'd be willing to bet you have at least a few years experience in EMS correct? If you do, you have undoubtedly seen --or have yourself---made jokes about patients, cardiac arrests, traumas, etc. to cope with the stressful aftermath. Now when medics make these jokes do you think they aren't taking the incident seriously? Do you really think having a humorous outlook on something negates its importance?

Also, I don't see where you get this ideas about me thinking we should all hold hands and sing kumbaiya except maybe to denigrate my points. I said you shouldn't take this so serious that you are insulting other people because they don't agree with you. If you believe there can only be two states of reaction to an incident ---one side not making any jokes and insulting everyone, and on the other being capricious and naively optimistic-- then you may have more problems with logic than I can address in this short message.

Keep in mind I was sarcastically commenting on one aspect of the article. The lady said she would've admitted the man assaulted her if AMR asked her. However true it may be, it's still funny because who the hell would ask its patients if they were raped by its employees (hence the joke).

Again I stress that I am troubled by what I heard and I will rue the day the public loses its faith in EMS personnel based on the acts of a few psychopaths. I am proud to be in a profession that is extolled by the public and I don't want anyone to take that away.

We all agree the man is guilty. However AMR, whether they were aware of this man actions or not, can be held liable for his actions. To a certain extent, a company can be held criminally and/or civilly liable for the actions of its employees.

 

[Aidey]

From reading the second article posted, I can see where AMR may have felt they didn't have enough concrete evidence to go on. In a 73 yo F with chest pain you are going to have to touch at least one breast to do a 12 lead, which puts her complaint into a bit of a grey area.

The 35 year old woman who says he stared at her and "panted and sweated" while she was undressed, again has a complaint that can easily be explained by non-inappropriate actions. Staring may equal looking at retractions, or accessory muscle use. The picture of the ex-paramedic shows that he is probably a bit overweight, if not obese. Sweating and breathing heavily may be perfectly normal for him after pushing the gurney around.

The guy plead guilty, so he obviously wasn't innocent, however, from just the article I can see where AMR may not have have enough concrete evidence to punish him, especially depending on the union rules.

 

[flhtci01]

From reading the second article posted, I can see where AMR may have felt they didn't have enough concrete evidence to go on. In a 73 yo F with chest pain you are going to have to touch at least one breast to do a 12 lead, which puts her complaint into a bit of a grey area.

Our class (with emphasis to the males) was taught to move a breast with the BACK of a GLOVED hand. We were told that it would help us avoid that grey area.

 

[Aidey]

I think most of us are taught that (now at least). But for some patients, it doesn't matter, they just think of it as "he touched my breast!". I could especially see how an older patient, who may have stricter ideas about what is proper between men and women, could get upset about it.

 

[medichopeful]

Why is that? As I said it happens in every profession and it will happen in the future. It won't make the public loose faith in EMS for christ's sake.

But something still needs to be done about it.

This incident may not, in itself, make the public lose faith in EMS. But incidents like this will continue to happen. The only way to cut down on this is by jumping on the incidents quickly.

This is not an isolated incident. There are other cases of abuse or misconduct by EMTs. Put them all together, and you have a serious issue. As with anything in the public eye, little things* can have major consequences. Ever heard the phrase "If you've seen one, you've seen them all?" For the average person, if they hear of one EMT doing something bad, they may assume that ALL EMTs are the same. Think about law enforcement. What is their public image?

Alright, I'm probably rambling. So let me conclude by saying this: this incident, in itself, is not a catastrophe or a "death blow" to EMS. But it is definitely contributing to the issue.



*N.B.: I am NOT saying that this incident is insignificant, "little," or should be ignored. I just can't think of different wording.

 

[VentMedic]

Guilty

Ore. Court Finds Ambulance Company Guilty of Negligence

http://www.emsresponder.com/article/article.jsp?id=10391&siteSection=1

A Multnomah County jury said Wednesday that American Medical Response is guilty of negligence.

The verdict follows the conviction of AMR worker Lannie Haszard, who sexually assaulted a woman in an ambulance in 2007.

The woman said the assault could have been prevented if AMR had acted on earlier complaints against Haszard.

Haszard was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to groping four patients.

Full story:

http://www.kptv.com/news/20656734/detail.html

 

[rescue99]

Ore. Court Finds Ambulance Company Guilty of Negligence

http://www.emsresponder.com/article/article.jsp?id=10391&siteSection=1



Full story:

http://www.kptv.com/news/20656734/detail.html

Good! They should be found guilty of keeping this person on their payroll.