FD cited for failing to explain how EMS determined girl dead

[CBEMT]

BOSTON - The state says it can’t determine whether Plympton’s fire chief and EMTs acted appropriately at the scene of a 2006 accident that took the life of a 16-year-old Hingham girl because a mandatory report was not filed.

Victoria Wightman, a student at the South Shore Charter Public School in Norwell, was one of three passengers in a car driven by another teen. Her mother, Lucy Wightman of Hull, filed a complaint this past October saying no one tried to resuscitate her daughter at the crash scene in Plympton because the local fire chief had determined she was dead.

But the fire chief, David L. Rich, told state investigators said he was told at the scene that one person was dead, and that he didn’t remember assessing Victoria Wightman’s condition himself.

The Office of Emergency Medical Service, the state agency that oversees emergency medical services, now has cited the Plympton fire department for failing to explain how rescue workers determined that Victoria Wightman was dead and beyond help at the scene of a two-car crash on Route 106.

http://www.wickedlocal.com/plympton/news/x...ngham-girl-dead

[Lone Star]

Another case of W/N/L = We Never Looked?

[brentoli]

FTCYA.

Failure To Cover Your Ass.

They didn't fill out any sort of report. EMS, NFIRS, In-House.... nothing?

[crotchitymedic1986]

oh they filled out a report. I imagine it just mysteriously got misplaced.

[CBEMT]

While accident incident reports were filed by Plympton EMTs, state medical regulations require that a trip report be filed for every accident victim, regardless of their condition.

Plympton's a bit of an odd duck. They're a paid department that contracts with AMR, but also have their own ALS transporting ambulance. I haven't quite figured out how they operate.

[akflightmedic]

Orange County in Florida and the City of Orlando have had similar agreements with Rural Metro. For years, despite them having ALS tx capability, they called in RM to do the transport.

I think it was last year the the City of Orlando finally ended the agreement and now RM only does a part of Orange County in areas weak of coverage.

Having your own ALS tx capability made it easy to do several things:

1. To keep the "real" medics (firefighters) free of BLS or "BS" calls and not tie up the unit, cause typically hospital hand off can be several hours long during peak season.

2. It allows graduates of medic mills to be able to complete their ride time with no issue since there are some counties that refuse ride time if you are coming from a particular school.

3. It also gave them the ability to have in house medic programs..see #2.

[CTXMEDIC]

Lame. So whats this mom supposed to sue for? Was the kid supposedly alive the whole time? The FD seems shady, no doubt, but the mom doesnt have a case. She has to PROVE wrongdoing.

[Dustdevil]

Lame. So whats this mom supposed to sue for? Was the kid supposedly alive the whole time? The FD seems shady, no doubt, but the mom doesnt have a case. She has to PROVE wrongdoing.

Not in a civil court, she doesn't.

[ERDoc]

Lame. So whats this mom supposed to sue for? Was the kid supposedly alive the whole time? The FD seems shady, no doubt, but the mom doesnt have a case. She has to PROVE wrongdoing.

Dust is correct (big surprise). Civil court requires a preponderance of the evidence. The jury/judge has to find that feel that there is a 50.1% chance that the FD was at fault and the judgement will go to mom. Without the proper documentation to support them, the FD is pretty much up the creek without a paddle.

[CTXMEDIC]

better be one hell of an autopsy report to even give her a crutch, let alone a leg to, stand on. Even in civil court. I dont see her possibly being alive anywhere in the article. I wonder if thats even in dispute. Sounds like someone wants some cash from a nothing FD.