Legal Issues
The legal issues topic contains news and information about legal issues affecting EMS personnel, agencies or departments. Find the latest news from personnel misconduct, to disciplinary and harassment cases, to malpractice lawsuits, as well as advice to prevent legal action with EMS training, documentation and management.
Regardless of pushback, providers have a responsibility to put the safety of the patient above all else when on scene
A firefighter charged with urinating on a medic’s belongings is a sign of a problem left brewing for too long
While it can be useful and effective, social media is not always simple
Former paramedic Jeremy Cooper faced up to three years in prison after being found guilty of criminally negligent homicide
At least 94 people died after they were given sedatives and restrained by police from 2012 through 2021, according to the Associated Press
An AP investigation shows how a strategy intended to reduce violence and save lives has resulted in avoidable deaths
EMT Chastian McWhorter, 26, was killed on April 1 after the ambulance he was in crashed into a semi-truck
Suit claims that the Air Methods pilot did not do a reconnaissance of the landing zone and flew into power lines
Wethersfield officials, EMS association are at odds over the proposed replacement of Aetna Ambulance
Paramedics placed a backboard on the victim and an officer sat on it while they tried to restrain him
The former Gilbertsville ambulance service chief of operations admitted to using company credit cards for personal purchases
Coroner’s report states Reginal Payne suffered cardiac arrest after being restrained face down, in the prone position
The term has been banned from EMS training with the exception to describe its historical usage
Rialto firefighters stated they were following COVID-19 guidelines when they refused to enter as a patient was in cardiac arrest
DNA from the urine on the medic’s CD player strongly supported it came from a Kansas City firefighter
Two Springfield Township medics have been fired; the fire chief and assistant chief remain on leave
Medway discontinued use of the ambulance service after the patient was forced to walk an “unreasonable distance” to the ambulance
The new law makes so-called personal use possession a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail
ACLU California Action and others say the bill would unfairly target certain patients
The man will serve two years for sexually assaulting two patients while working for AMR
The jury found that Matthew Plote, a former Illinois volunteer firefighter, killed Melissa Lamesch before setting her house on fire
The lawsuit claims the Nuvance ambulance EMTs were not trained nor capable of providing proper care, treatment and monitoring
St. Paul Firefighter Kenneth Zepeda had applied pressure to the neck of a combative patient
Jamey Noel, co-founder of New Chapel Fire/EMS and former Clark County sheriff, is facing 25 felony charges for theft, public corruption, tax evasion and ghost employment
The 19-year-old continued to assert he was an EMT even after police and Wake County EMS arrived at the scene
Paramedic Peter Cichuniec was convicted of criminally negligent homicide and second-degree assault for giving a drug without consent or a legitimate medical purpose
The Elijah McClain trial highlighted gaps in medical procedures that experts said must be addressed
Montville police charged PIO Steven Frischling with “unauthorized taking or transmission by first responders of images of crime or accident victims.”
City officials adopted a new policy following the death of a patient who fell next to a snowbank
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- Colo. bans LEOs, medics from using term ‘excited delirium’ in trainings, incident reports
- Conviction of Colo. medics leads to reviews of in-custody patient care protocols
- Suspect steals ambulance, leads deputies on pursuit ending at Fla. sheriff’s office
- Calif. FF-medics reinstated after initial refusal to enter care facility to treat patient
- Rapid Response: Scene safety trumps patient care but does not replace duty