By Julia Marnin
The Charlotte Observer
HONOLULU — A wrongful death lawsuit over an explosion that ignited an ambulance fire, killing a 91-year-old Hawaii man, accuses paramedics of abandoning the patient inside the burning vehicle.
The blast related to an oxygen tank happened outside Adventist Health Castle Medical Center Kailua on Aug. 24, 2022, according to the Honolulu Civil Beat, which first reported on the lawsuit.
Fred Kaneshiro, of Honolulu, was being transported to the hospital by the Honolulu Emergency Services Department when the explosion occurred as he was strapped to a gurney inside the ambulance, a complaint filed Aug. 23 says.
Two paramedics escaped the vehicle after the explosion, according to the complaint. The lawsuit accuses them of causing Kaneshiro’s death by failing to keep the inside of the ambulance safe and failing to rescue him.
Kaneshiro was “left to burn alive in the inferno,” the complaint says.
His body was located on the gurney after firefighters fought the flames, which “continued to reignite,” for nearly 10 minutes, according to the complaint.
Following a preliminary investigation, Honolulu Fire Chief Sheldon K. Hao announced in September 2022 that the fire was considered an accident and linked to a “portable oxygen regulator assembly,” KITV reported.
The lawsuit filed by Kaneshiro’s niece, who represents his estate, against the city and county of Honolulu and the Honolulu Emergency Services Department accuses the two paramedics of negligence, in part by failing to properly use and monitor medical equipment, including oxygen devices.
“The lawsuit has been brought to seek answers and obtain closure from the horrific death of Mr. Kaneshiro,” attorney Robert Miyashita, who is representing the case, told McClatchy News on Aug. 27.
Honolulu Emergency Services Department spokeswoman Shayne Enright told McClatchy News that the city hasn’t received the lawsuit as of Aug. 27 and declined to comment.
Several medical supply businesses are also named as defendants in the lawsuit, including Rescue Safety Pacific Inc. The companies are accused, in part, of being involved in the design, distribution, sale and warranting of the products involved in the ambulance explosion.
Rescue Safety Pacific Inc. told McClatchy News on Aug. 27 that the organization is unaware of the lawsuit and declined to comment. The other businesses didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ requests for comment.
Kaneshiro, who was born in Maui, was a passionate farmer throughout his life and until his death, his niece Roberta Kinoshita told McClatchy News on Aug. 27 . He acquired a farm in Waimanalo, in Honolulu County, in the early 1950’s and grew crops including watermelon, winter melon, corn, soybeans, bananas and papayas, Kinoshita said.
“He was quiet, soft-spoken and reserved. He loved farming and watching and talking baseball,” Kinoshita said of her uncle.
What happened before the explosion
On Aug. 24, 2022, an ambulance was sent to the Windward City Shopping Center in Kaneohe, where Kaneshiro was in need of medical help, the complaint says.
After arriving, paramedics provided him with supplemental oxygen through a mask that was connected to a portable tank, according to the complaint, and strapped him to a gurney before loading him into the ambulance’s patient compartment.
During the ride to the hospital, one of the paramedics decided to switch Kaneshiro from a non-rebreather mask to a CPAP mask that received oxygen from an outlet inside the ambulance instead of the portable tank, the complaint says.
As they neared the hospital, the paramedic went to connect the CPAP mask to the portable oxygen tank — a typical protocol to transport a patient from an ambulance to a hospital, KITV reported.
“When the paramedic connected the CPAP to the portable oxygen cylinder, there was a sound described as a ‘pop’ followed by a bright flash of light, with the back of the ambulance immediately filling with smoke and fire,” Honolulu Emergency Services Director Dr. Jim Ireland said in September 2022, according to the TV station.
The lawsuit says the paramedic “did not turn off the oxygen flow” from the ambulance’s main oxygen tank “before or after disconnecting or detaching Mr. Kaneshiro’s CPAP mask” from the outlet inside the ambulance. The portable oxygen tank’s valve was also open at this time, and a loud hiss was heard coming from its direction, according to the complaint.
This led to the explosion, followed by flames, while Kaneshiro was “alert,” according to the complaint.
One of the paramedics stopped the ambulance and opened the vehicle’s rear door after the blast, the complaint says. The paramedic who had been supplying Kanshiro with oxygen “jumped out” and headed inside the hospital for treatment, according to the complaint.
The paramedic who went inside the hospital was badly injured in the explosion, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.
“Kaneshiro remained helpless and trapped in the EMS ambulance’s compartment still strapped to the gurney” and “burned to death from the fire,” the complaint says.
His death was untimely, according to the lawsuit, which seeks general, special and punitive damages.
“Mr. Kaneshiro was conscious at the time of the fire, strapped in a gurney, and ultimately burned alive. Further investigation will be conducted through the lawsuit,” Miyashita told McClatchy News.
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