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Calif. city pays $495K settlement over dropped patient

Marlene Jordan suffered a fractured femur when a Sacramento paramedic dropped her while moving her to a cot

By Theresa Clift
The Sacramento Bee

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The city of Sacramento has paid a $495,000 settlement to a senior dropped by a paramedic during a 911 call.

Marlene Jordan, 83, and her husband James called 911 in July 2021 for a transport from their Tahoe Park home to the hospital, according to the lawsuit filed in Sacramento Superior Court. When the paramedics arrived to transfer Marlene Jordan from her reclining chair to the gurney, one of the paramedics dropped her, fracturing her femur.

“James Jordan saw this incident and witnessed the pain and anguish Marlene Jordan was in as she screamed in pain,” the lawsuit, filed in April 2022, states.

The city in June signed the settlement agreement, which was posted to a city web page this past month.

“After a thorough evaluation, it was determined that settling this case was in the best interest of the city,” city spokesman Tim Swanson said. He declined name the paramedic involved.

“The city does not comment on individual personnel matters,” he said.

The settlement was one of several the city posted to its web page last month. They included a $99,000 payout to the family of Brandon Smith, who died in police custody in 2018, and $400,000 to an unarmed man shot by police over 20 times in 2021.

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