An Au Bon Pain shop in Brooklyn has become the scene of a disturbing case in which a pregnant woman died after two EMTs allegedly refused to help because they were on a coffee break. The EMTs, Jason Green and Melissa Jackson are accused of sitting by and telling people to call 9-11 after an employee, Eutisha Revee Rennix, collapsed. The mother of three later died with her unborn baby.
State health officials are calling the inaction of the EMTs “appalling.” Witnesses said that the two not only told people to call 9-11 but left after others begged them to help.
Rennix complained of feeling dizzy before collapsing while the two EMTs were making their order. They never, according to witnesses, went to the back of the store to see Rennix, who was an asthma sufferer.
Both EMTs are dispatchers but have EMT training. Green is a 6-year veteran and Jackson is a 4-year veteran. Both are fully trained EMTs.
To the credit of the Uniformed EMTS and Paramedics, FDNY, their spokesman did not make excuses for the action (as we have seen in a few egregious police cases). Robert Ungar, spokesman for the Uniformed EMTS and Paramedics, FDNY stated “All of our members are qualified to make that initial assessment and in some cases, start medical care. Being dispatchers is not a defense” for inaction.
Rennix’s mother is considering legal action.
For the full story, click here.
You’re welcome, Buddha.
I was particularly moved by the following:
The pregnant woman’s mother said “she felt sorry for Green’s family.” “As a mother who has been through this kind of loss, I have to feel for his family,” she told the New York Post this summer. “Even though what he did to my daughter was an injustice, I am sorry for him and, especially, for his mother.”
Thanks for the update, anon nurse.
http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/nyc-emt-melissa-jackson-charged-with-ignoring-dying-pregnant-woman/19670533?icid=main%7Cmain%7Cdl1%7Csec3_lnk1%7C177134
One of the EMTs involved in this case has been charged. The other “was shot and killed in July outside a New York City nightclub in what police say was an unrelated case.”
Carlyle… what are your thoughts on the rampant racism found in black communities against other races?
You live a life devoid of joy and meaning when you look for race around every corner. You are destined for a bitter and unhappy existence full of all the hours of humorous folly guys like Al and Jesse provide the rest of us while devaluing real instances of racism.
You don’t have to be a racist to be an uncaring jerk. These ’emts’ obviously have so much wrong with them that racism doesn’t even matter.
Chris.
Anti Negro racism is rampant in the US. It is not restricted to whites, Hispanics also hate Negroes as do many of the assimilated honorary whites such as Vietnamese and Koreans.
True they may just have been dicks jealous of their coffee break and racism may have had nothing to do with it. But with racism ubiquitous the possibility that it is part of the cause cannot be dismissed.
Why would you only assume they are racist if they are white? Why could they not be any other color and you assume they are racist? The bottom line is they neglected their responsibility to help and they should be fired.
BDL.
Yes, she is black, but what colour were the EMTs? If they turn out to be white one cannot but suspect that racism was involved.
She’s black? No way! Glad you couldn’t help but notice.
JT.
Is the photograph at the top right of this post a photograph of the dead woman?
i can’t help noticing that she is black, I wonder if perhaps the EMTs were white. Was racial animus involved?
athena, also, the fewer people around during the emergency to diffuse the notion of personal responsibility the more likely someone will give aid, similarly, smaller town citizens and those that come from a small town are more likely to help out than people that come from big cities.
http://www.uwlax.edu/faculty/cerbin/ls/PSY%20Research%20Lesson%20Model%20of%20Bystander%20Intervention.htm
http://nniland.com/AP%20Psych%20Documents/Ch%2013%20-%20Lost%20Child%20Article.pdf
**
I’m not sure what the basis for jail time would be but fired and banned from like jobs in the future is the least that should happen to the two paramedics. They should never have been in positions of responsibility to begin with.
This reminds me of the Kitty Genovese case. It also was in NY.
There have been studies about Good Samaritan behaviour: the more similar the victim and bystander are, the better the chance the bystander will help. Conversely, skin color, gender, age, social status variables may hinder the desire to help.
The basic rule is: if you can’t help directly, go get help.
And I agree. Hopefully there’ll be criminal investigaton.
What mespo said.
Thanks, Jill. Little to add… — just this:
There’s a song (Jewel?) with the line: “In the end, only kindness matters.” There are still many good people in the world, but kindness, in some quarters, seems to be in short supply.
bdaman,
You are correct about this –“Insurance or no insurance, in good health or bad, people are dying accross this country because of the lack of compassion for one another.”
We need to pull out of this lack of concern and start coming through for each other. Even if it’s people we don’t like, it says something about our own character that we ignore suffering. Any society how cannot care about others is in real trouble. And here we stand.
What a shame, how many stories in this past year have we seen where bystanders have watched people get attacked or fall ill and never bothered to offer assistance.
This of course pales in comparison to the woman who died in the emergency room of all places, and no one of the emergency room staff gave her any assistance.
Insurance or no insurance, in good health or bad, people are dying accross this country because of the lack of compassion for one another.
What would we do without the legal system? Oh yes, the municipalities would do the right things and when then did not they would pony up for the wrong. oh yeah.
Reminds me of the Fairy tale world.
I see that a criminal investigation is also being opened. Good. These two need more than a firing.
I believe those two jerks deserve jail time and should no longer be able to work in any type of medical related field whatsoever!
I hope the family wins their lawsuit!
How terribly upsetting for her children!