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.
There is a groundswell of support to change how lights and sirens are used in EMS to reduce risk to ambulance crews, patients and others
A recent poll found that nearly 70% of those who responded hold either a bachelor’s or master’s degree in an EMS-related field
Qualified immunity protection varies from state to state. Do you know yours?
Is it occupational discrimination to exclude private EMS providers from LODD benefits?
True loyalty is pushing for improvement, rather than accepting substandard patient care from your peers and co-workers
Timothy Gray, 49, faces a charge of embezzlement for misappropriating funds by giving himself excessive paid time off and receiving a full salary while on short-term disability
This free whitepaper will help your agency capitalize on trends in data use and improve performance
A review of the performance of ketamine in the agitated or excited delirium patient with an acute and potential life-threatening medical condition
TransCare abruptly shuttered on Feb. 24 and declared itself bankrupt; 175 former employees said the company did not give them 60 days of notice
Brad Tate was fired in 2013 after officials found he provided substandard care, intimidated and bullied patients and falsified records to show patients who called 911 refused care
All local government EMS providers and volunteers killed after Nov. 1, 2015 are eligible for the benefits
Veteran paramedic Jason Hunt demonstrated the use in an effort to get a bill passed that would require high schools to have AEDs on campus
Marietta Worth was named the new director of the McLean County EMS; Worth said she wants to adjust paramedic schedules to allow for advanced life support crews 24/7
Dwayne Woodbridge was accused of twice raping a friend and coworker after she asked him to donate his sperm so she could be artificially inseminated
The proposal is meant to help cover the current Medicaid gap that has left some without coverage; the proposal faces an uphill battle in Nebraska’s legislature
Authorities said she used her phone to take photos of an incapacitated male patient’s genitals
The judge said EMT Craig Whitham was a flight risk and barred him from contacting any members of his former crew
The ambulance was stolen after paramedics left it running while taking a patient inside the hospital
An ambulance was damaged after a woman stole it from a hospital and led police on a chase; the department had no policy in place to prevent ambulance theft
The woman stole the ambulance outside of a home as paramedics were inside responding to a call
The man was wearing an EMT jacket and had police gear in his car when he attempted to pick up an inmate from a Massachusetts correctional institution
The judge said the state law was pre-empted by federal law and was “unenforceable”
The move comes after a lawsuit between the fire district and county commissioners after they refused to renew the fire district’s certificate to hire its own medical director
The paramedic responded to a call to treat a child with meningitis; the ambulance did not have the right sized equipment to treat the toddler
Susan English Slappey was arrested twice within one week and also faces charges from other counties
The bill would provide $80,000 for the families of EMS providers who were killed in the line of duty
Byron Beales was charged for allegedly beating a patient he was transporting in an ambulance; his case was dismissed on Wednesday
The legislation is currently making its way through the Minnesota house; the bill would remove the two percent health care provider tax
The woman’s mother said she has mental issues and that she was not aware of her actions when she stole the ambulance
Brandon Mitchell was arrested for obtaining money by false pretenses; it was discovered he also faced charges of theft from his prior department
The EMT was fired after his supervisor told him he was not mentally fit for duty and that he was a liability for the department
