Baltimore medics mistakenly declare man dead

[Liberal_in_LA]

Baltimore medics mistakenly declare man dead

Monday, August 3, 2009


(08-03) 11:47 PDT BALTIMORE, (AP) --

Baltimore police say a burglary suspect mistakenly declared dead by medics after he was shot by an officer lay on a convenience store floor for half an hour before anyone noticed he was still alive.

Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi (goo-lee-EL-mee) says 51-year-old Michael Quarles was shot early Saturday when he lunged at an officer with a long screwdriver. Guglielmi says the officer thought Quarles had a knife.

Guglielmi says emergency medical technicians pronounced Quarles dead at the scene, then left. But officers noticed about 30 minutes later that Quarles was moving and called the medics back to the scene.

Quarles was taken to a trauma center and remained in critical condition Monday.

The medics have been reassigned until an investigation is finished.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/08/03/national/a111657D25.DTL&tsp=1#ixzz0N9RRO6CH

[Horse with no Name]

1. That's gonna leave a mark!

Since when do medics pronounce death? Then leave? Outside of a hospital--I believe that only a physician, coroner or local magistrates (RN's can in the case of hospice patients) are the only ones qualified to pronounce death?
But I have never heard of an EMT pronouncing and then LEAVING a body in the field.

[kirby]

3. I doubt he was 'left'...

My guess is that the medics and police stood around working on their police reports and taking witness statements waiting for a coroner. Sloppy reporting, I'm sure.

[Horse with no Name]

4. What's to understand?

"Guglielmi says emergency medical technicians pronounced Quarles dead at the scene, then left. But officers noticed about 30 minutes later that Quarles was moving and called the medics back to the scene."

[kirby]

5. I mean he was not left lying there...

Someone (police) were waiting around until the coroner arrived.

[Horse with no Name]

6. The EMT's left him lying there

You don't simply pronounce someone dead and then casually walk away and go drink a latte until you transfer custody of the body to the appropriate person. That isn't the job of the police--it is the job of the medics.
Basically for this reason.
Unless of course something nefarious was really going on.

[Ian David]

2. "I feel happy! I feel happy!"