San Francisco Paramedics, EMTs Disciplined For Failure To Provide Basic Care

San Francisco, CA -- We have a follow-up to a story the ABC7 News I-Team first broke, six months ago. We told you about a San Francisco Fire Department paramedic and several medical technicians who failed to provide basic care to a seriously injured man. They now face disciplinary action. I-Team reporter Dan Noyes has the details.

We now know what the punishment will be for three of the four men involved in this case. But the most important news of all is that the patient, Floyd Hill, has died from his injuries. The question now is, did the mistakes of the paramedic and EMTs contribute to his death?

Floyd Hill's family is distraught. The carpenter from Oakland died three weeks ago. The medical examiner lists the cause of death as "complications of C4 vertebra fracture." But there's so much more to the story.

Last August, Floyd Hill fell out of an elevated bed in a Mission District room. He was hurt, but his friend says he was still able to move his arms and legs. Kermit Falls called 911. He was surprised at how rude the ambulance crew was.

Kermit Falls, Floyd Hill's friend (8/3/2004): "You could tell their attitude, it was like we were a pain in the neck to them, you know, like they had something better to do than just be here."

Falls told us the paramedic and EMTs just dragged Floyd Hill into the hallway, onto a stretcher, and down four flights of stairs. By the time he got to San Francisco General, Hill couldn't move. He was paralyzed from the neck down.

Dr. John Brown, San Francisco EMS Agency: "There's no doubt in my mind that they did not follow the standard of care that they should have followed."

The head of the San Francisco EMS Agency, Dr. John Brown, says the paramedic and EMTs failed to follow the basic protocol for neck or "cervical spine immobilization" - they should have applied the rigid collar and back board with straps you see at accident scenes.

Dr. Brown has decided the punishment for the three EMTs