(Screenshot: WPBF TV)
Four fire-rescue medics in Florida have been suspended after they allegedly refused to transport a 30-year-old black woman suffering stroke symptoms, just five days after giving birth via Caesarian section.
According to, Nicole Benhamou, her daughter, Crystle Galloway was refused a ride because the medics said they couldn’t afford it. Benhamou drove her daughter to the hospital, but unfortunately it was too late.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, the medics have been accused of not even checking Galloway’s vital signs, and falsifying paperwork. They were placed on paid administrative leave on July 27.
Benhamou, spoke to WPBF-TV News about her interaction with the medics on July 4, when she received a call from her 7-year-old granddaughter saying something was wrong with Galloway. When Benhamou arrived at her daughter’s home, she found her slumped over a tub, drooling from the mouth.
Black called 911, and the Times reports that the emergency call was given coding informing the responding medics that Galloway was suffering a possible stroke.
“They didn’t take any vitals. They didn’t take any blood pressure. They didn’t check her temperature,” Benhamou said. This was confirmed by the Hillsborough County administrator. Benhamou also says she told the two medic units that responded that her daughter had recently underwent a C-section.
The medics deny these allegations, they claim that Benhamou volunteered to take her daughter to the hospital. However, no informed consent form was signed to prove that such a conversation took place. Even worse, Hillsborough County says medics indicated that the patient could not be found, reports the Times.
On a gofundme page, Galloway’s mother, Nicole Benhamou, said her daughter left behind three children, including a 5-day-old baby.
The four suspended employees are Lt. John “Mike” Morris, 36, who has worked with the department six years; Fire Medic Justin Sweeney, 36, a five-year department employee; Fire Medic Andrew J. Martin, 28, a five-year department employee; and acting Lt. Cortney Barton, 38, a nine-year department employee, reports the Times.
A disciplinary hearing is tentatively scheduled for July 31.
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