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.
If you don’t know that prone positioning can cause great bodily harm or death in some patients, you don’t belong in EMS
Teaching points from the ‘malpractice or murder’ case – Part 1: Action steps for EMS leaders
EMS providers and leaders have a “duty to act” to ensure patients are treated with dignity and compassion
Westmoreland County EMS Chief Jeff Beasley was suspended after a whistleblower highlighted several violations that occurred before the crash
Paramedics performed an emergency caesarean section to save Sana Muhammad’s baby after she was attacked with a crossbow in her kitchen
Brittany Buckley says Hennepin Healthcare paramedics forcibly injected her with ketamine last year and enrolled her in a clinical trial
Female paramedics at the South Western Ambulance Service Foundation Trust claim they were forced to watch porn and give sexual favors
Rom Duckworth shares his top tips, ideas and resources for improving initial and ongoing EMS education
Michael Ovdiyenko allegedly cursed a deputy while he was being arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, saying he would not help the cop if he was shot
EMT Jennifer Hayn-Hiton claims Heather Locklear kicked her and injured her enough to prevent her from working
Our cohosts discuss a recent event involving a paramedic allegedly choking a patient, and how and when to speak up in that situation
Laurie Leone was arrested after stealing an ambulance and following a fire truck in the rig
Body camera footage allegedly shows paramedic Raymond Lee choking an agitated patient while transporting her to a mental health facility
Gordon Stokes is accused of intentionally drilling into an overdose patient’s bone without anesthesia and then calling it a “teachable moment”
Calling his behavior disgusting, a judge sentenced Theodore Gasiorowski to a year in jail and ordered him to pay $150,000
A paramedic said Thomas Shackleford deliberately grabbed her breasts as she “grabbed his arm to support him”
Donald Horner had an expired EMT certification and he allegedly altered reports on 27 occasions to conceal that fact when he served as a crew member
Stephanie Schwambach faces several felony charges after allegedly leading police on a chase in a stolen ambulance before crashing it into a tree
The City of Moore said the opioid crisis forced them to spend more money on firefighters, EMS providers and other addiction services than usual
Operating in the public eye under conditions that may require evacuation or assisting colleagues at a moment’s notice means responders must be ready 24/7
Using LEAD principles, EMS leaders can encourage employee retention at their organizations
John Harvey, who has a history of making hundreds of bogus calls for help, was jailed when he began asking bystanders to call for him instead
Police said San Antonio paramedics left the truck running while they tended to a patient, and a suspect jumped inside and took off
Gaston EMS released a list of violations that took place when a crew was sent to aid in hurricane relief, resulting in terminations and suspensions
Officials want to move ahead with Gold Cross EMS negotiations after a court threw out the process that might have led to the company being replaced
Yazoo County dispatcher Terrance Freeman allegedly helped another suspect rob one of his co-workers at gunpoint while she was working
The human body is an ideal training tool, but fire/EMS training protocols and the law must be followed
Police are searching for a man who stole a Yazoo County dispatcher’s purse while she was on the job
Though an investigation said 11 department members admitted to intubating a deceased patient, only nine of them were actually credentialed healthcare providers
Embrace change, empower leaders and remove cancer are three factors to evolve an EMS agency and avoid the pitfalls of stagnation
Involuntary manslaughter charges were filed against police Sgt. Ronald Buckley and paramedics Matt Dicosola and Leah Maynard in the death of inmate William Marshall
Detroit EMT Charlene Kinnard was treating an elderly woman with breathing issues when a thief stole her belongings out of the ambulance
“If the patient is deceased at the scene, it becomes a law enforcement issue,” Whatcom County Fire District 14 Chief Jerry DeBruin said
