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
AmeriCare filed suit in 2016 against several California cities, accussing city officials of conspiring to monopolize the market and shut out AmeriCare from contracts
Scott Bahner is accused of using $5,000 of squad money to pay for car repairs and then making records look like the funds were for ambulance repairs
The video shows the moment they caught up with a woman who allegedly stole an ambulance from outside an ER
David L. Gardener was arrested for battery of a police officer after he was removed from the back of an ambulance for drinking saline from bags
The appearance of the measure on the ballot is due the a continual decrease in funding from the landline tax
Patrick Clemons died of a heart attack after a Detroit paramedic and EMT allegedly failed to provide timely and adequate life-saving operations
Taylor Forrester was “visibly intoxicated” at a hotel and struggled when police and EMS workers attempted to assist her
Colby W. VanWagoner admitted in his plea to tampering with vials of morphine sulfate, replacing the morphine with saline solution
The new requirement is angering union officials and baffling first responders who feel they’re not trained to handle biohazard material in this manner
An EMS agency success story in improving patient care and service, with financial benefits for the agency and EMS providers
“That guy” policies are top candidates to remove from your EMS employee manual or student handbook
Reports surfaced that Alex McNabb was comparing black patients to gorillas
Trevor Sizemore photographed a victim at the scene he responded to, then uploaded it to Facebook
Tyran Young used an automated recording to call for help, and began shooting at the Sarasota FD ambulance once it arrived
The top EMS issues are more complex than ever and state representatives must hear the value of EMS from field providers and paramedic chiefs
High-quality EMS research, according to Dr. Remle Crowe, will improve the health and safety of EMS providers and their patients
Citing the impact of widespread addiction on public resources, hundreds of lawsuits have been filed against pharmaceutical manufacturers and retailers
Police said former Morrisville Ambulance Squad members Brian Eckert and Ruth Rookstool stole $130,000 from the agency
EMS records show Nathanial Rhodes was taken to the police station instead of the hospital after a vehicle crash, where body cam footage shows him collapsing
Jeremiah Ray opened the door of an ambulance stopped at a red light and stabbed a paramedic who tried to keep him outside
Sgt. J.T. Foster said the state was asked to take over the investigation of Rodney Gilmer’s death because many staff members had a relationship with him
Stephen Greene’s family is suing after two dispatchers turned down the volume and missed 13 emergency calls made by rehabilitation staff members
Officials said the man had been calm when transported to the hospital, but abruptly jumped back in the ambulance and drove away when they arrived
Technology is advancing exponentially and those EMS agencies who cannot adapt their employee engagement will be left behind in hiring and retaining millennials and members of Gen-Z
The lawsuit alleges paramedic Danny Tinnel was negligent when the EMS vehicle he was driving while responding to a call crashed into the Dyer family’s truck
Isaiah Smith is facing charges after police said he made six false 911 calls over a period of more than a month
Aaron English was accused of groping a teenage patient in 2017, but he wasn’t charged until another teen came forward with allegations of inappropriate behavior
Terry Ramsay allegedly suffered a heroin overdose and struck a New Hanover Regional Medical Center ambulance transporting a patient
Body camera video captured tense moments from Austin-Travis County EMS as they discussed the patient’s injuries and debated whether to proceed with treatment
Becoming an effective public speaker can elevate the success of your fire department, EMS crew or community paramedicine program