By EMS1 Staff
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — A man who claimed he was beaten in the back of an ambulance while being transported by an EMT settled in a lawsuit he filed against the city, the EMS agency and the EMT.
CT Post reported that Robert Alix settled for an undisclosed amount after he claimed he suffered painful, permanent injuries as well as psychological trauma.
Alix, who was handcuffed to a stretcher while he was being transported from the police department to the hospital, claimed EMT Alejandro Ramirez was irate when he demanded the Alix “get a haircut and join the military.”
Police said Alix also claimed that Ramirez hit him in the forehead with an iPad and choked him.
“The actions of Ramirez in assaulting a helpless patient in the back of an ambulance are despicable,” Alix’s lawyer, Thomas Ganim, said. “Mr. Alix needed the help of emergency personnel and instead received a horrifying ambulance ride while being beaten by the EMT.”
Ramirez’s partner, EMT Michael Suchinski, said he was driving the ambulance when he heard the two in the back. He said Ramirez seemed like he was trying to “stoke Alix up by getting in Alix’s face and yelling at him,” according to police.
Ramirez said the iPad incident was an accident as he lost his balance when he was talking to Alix.