Mecklenburg Emergency Medical Services Agency Ambulance Accident

Mecklenburg Emergency Medical Services Agency

The Mecklenburg Emergency Medical Services Agency was involved in an ambulance accident leaving six people injured, including two emergency medical responders, in a head-on crash between the North Carolina ambulance and a pickup truck Monday morning.

Mecklenburg Emergency Medical Services Agency Ambulance Accident

Per officials with the Mecklenburg Emergency Medical Services Agency a pickup truck was going the wrong way when it collided with the ambulance on Interstate Highway 277 near Charlotte at around 2:30 a.m.

Two EMS first responder providers inside the ambulance sustained injuries that were not life-threatening. The ambulance was not carrying a patient when the crash occurred. Four people who were in the pickup truck were transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

About Mecklenburg Emergency Medical Services

Medic operates the busiest 9-1-1 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agency in the state of North Carolina. Contrary to popular belief, Medic is more than just an ambulance service. From SWAT, medical research and the latest in prehospital medical training and equipment, Medic is among the nation’s top 1% of EMS agencies in terms of positive outcomes for Cardiac Arrest victims.

Different from many EMS providers, Medic partners with Charlotte and local fire departments’, first responder unit. Independently operated under Mecklenburg County, Medic’s responsibilities span 544 square miles. With several professional sporting venues, multiple college campuses and universities, two major lakes, a busy international airport, several major business centers and corporations, two nuclear power plants and a population over 1,000,000 people, Mecklenburg County is a diverse and exciting environment that Medic is proud to be a part of.

 

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Michigan Suspends Southfield EMS Providers Licenses

Michigan Suspends Southfield EMS Providers

Michigan suspends Southfield EMS provider’s licenses after they treated a Southfield woman who was mistakenly declared dead, city officials said.

“The City of Southfield has received notification that the State of Michigan has suspended the licenses of the two paramedics on the scene at the Timesha Beauchamp medical run while the state investigation continues,” the Facebook post said. “The state of Michigan has also served letters of intent to suspend the licenses of the two EMT’s who were also on the scene.”

“All four Southfield firefighters remain on paid administrative leave from the city pending the outcome of this ongoing investigation. More information will be provided as it is made available.”

Michigan Suspends Southfield EMS

On Wednesday, Southfield Fire Chief Johnny Menifee pledged to find answers in the case.

The Southfield Fire Department responded to a 911 call about 7:35 a.m. Sunday for an unresponsive woman later identified as Timesha Beauchamp, authorities said.

Paramedics tried to revive the woman for about half an hour, they said.

After consulting with a Providence Hospital emergency room doctor who declared the woman dead, the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office signed off on releasing the woman’s body to the family. Funeral home workers preparing to embalm Beauchamp realized the woman was not dead.

Beauchamp’s family has hired attorney Geoffrey Fieger to investigate possible negligence by authorities at the scene.

Lawyer Geoffrey Fieger Hired To Represent Family

Michigan Suspends Southfield EMS

Michael Storms and Scott Rickard were the two paramedics suspended by Emergency Order Suspension.

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Southfield Medics On Leave

Michigan Funeral Home

Southfield medics are on leave and the Southfield fire chief is pledging to find answers after a 20-year-old woman was declared dead on Sunday, but then was found alive hours later at a Detroit funeral home.

At a Wednesday morning press conference at Southfield City Hall, Chief Johnny Menifee addressed Timesha Beauchamp and her family: “We know that they want answers. We’re trying to provide those answers, but it takes time; it’s going to take time for this investigation.” The family has retained lawyer Geoffrey Feiger.

There is public interest in the case and that’s important, too, he said, but getting answers for the family trumps that concern. He said the four medics involved in the call were put on leave Monday morning.

Southfield Medics Pronounce Woman Dead Who Isnt

“They feel terrible,” Menifee said. “They can’t imagine how this possibly could happen. They’re emotionally upset.”

On Tuesday, attorney Geoffrey Fieger, who is representing Beauchamp, 20, and her family said his firm will investigate any negligence on the part of authorities dispatched to her home.

“She needed to be taken to a hospital, not a funeral home,” the Southfield-based attorney said. The Southfield Fire Department responded to a 911 call at about 7:35 a.m. Sunday for an unresponsive woman, authorities said.

The woman suffered what was “apparently a seizure” during her normal morning routine, Fieger said. She was not breathing and her lips had lost color, he said.

Beauchamp has had cerebral palsy from birth and is on three breathing treatments a day, Fieger said.

Medics tried “life-saving efforts” on the woman for about half an hour, Southfield Fire Chief Johnny Menifee said. He declined Wednesday to detail what those were. But the woman showed “no signs of life.”

Fieger said a godmother of the woman, who works in the medical field, was at the house at the time and told authorities that Beauchamp was not dead. But they allegedly argued that the movements were involuntary, a reaction to the life-saving efforts just applied, the attorney added.

After the fire department consulted with an emergency room doctor at Providence Hospital, who declared the woman dead, the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office signed off on releasing the woman’s body to the family.

The woman was placed in a body bag at about 9 a.m., Fieger said. The James H. Cole Home for Funerals in Detroit on Schaefer took custody of the woman’s body just before 11:30 a.m.

On Wednesday, Menifee said that Fieger made a “grossly inaccurate” statement in saying Beauchamp was placed in a body bag by police or firefighters.

“That is absolutely untrue,” Menifee said. “It is not part of our standard operating procedures, nor do we carry that equipment.”

Funeral home workers preparing to embalm Beauchamp realized the woman was not dead. The workers were preparing to embalm Beauchamp.

“She was alive, her eyes were open, and she was breathing,” Fieger said.

The funeral home workers called 911, and Detroit Fire Department medics arrived. The woman was breathing. Her heart was beating at a rate of 80 beats per minute.

Beauchamp remains hospitalized in critical condition, said Brian Taylor, a spokesman for the Detroit Medical Center.

Menifee said he has not reached out to the family, and that he felt bad about it. He said he believes what the family wants from him is answers, not just conversation.

“I take full responsibility for not reaching out to them,” Menifee said. “I feel tremendously upset and mad at myself for not doing that upfront, but I know they want answers and I’m trying to get those answers for them.”

Southfield Medics

The four staffers involved are a lieutenant-paramedic with 18 years of experience, a paramedic with seven years’ experience, and two EMTs, with two years and six months of experience respectively per Southfield Fire staff.

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Hurricane Laura Extremely Dangerous

Satellite Photo Of Hurricane Laura

Hurricane Laura extremely dangerous according to the National Hurricane Center. At least 20 million people are in the storm’s path and over half a million people have been ordered to evacuate.

The hurricane, currently a Category 3, was “rapidly intensifying” over the Gulf of Mexico Wednesday, the hurricane center said. It warned of potentially catastrophic and life-threatening storm surge, extreme winds, and flash flooding Wednesday night along the northwest Gulf Coast.

Eye of Hurricane Laura

“Only a few hours remain to protect life and property,” it said late Wednesday morning.

Hurricane Laura

Laura was located about 225 miles south-southeast of Lake Charles, Louisiana, and 235 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas, according to the hurricane center. It was moving northwest at 16 mph and had maximum sustained winds near 125 mph.

Workers board up property prior to Hurricane Laura Landfall

“On the forecast track, Laura will approach the Upper Texas and southwest Louisiana coasts this evening and move inland within that area tonight. The center of Laura is forecast to move over northwestern Louisiana tomorrow, across Arkansas Thursday night, and over the mid-Mississippi Valley on Friday,” the hurricane center said.

Laura is expected to rapidly weaken after it makes landfall. Never Forget 9-11 Foundation is discussing a donor page to assist with recovery, but no decisions have been made yet.

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Lawyer Geoffrey Fieger Hired

Lawyer Geoffrey Fieger was hired by the family of a woman declared dead by Southfield Fire Department staff. The family has retained superstar attorney Geoffrey Fieger to investigate possibly negligence on the part of authorities who arrived at the scene.

Lawyer Geoffrey Fieger Hired To Represent Family

Fieger, based in Southfield, held a digital press conference Tuesday to discuss the case. He said the woman, Timesha Beauchamp, 20, was in a body bag for at least two hours before being found alive by workers at the funeral home.

The Southfield Fire Department responded to a 911 call at about 7:35 a.m. Sunday. A 20-year-old woman was reported as being unresponsive, authorities said.

Fieger said the woman suffered what was “apparently a seizure” during her normal morning routine: wake up, eat, change clothes, and take a breathing treatment. She was not breathing, and her lips had lost color. Beauchamp has had cerebral palsy from birth, and is on three breathing treatments a day.

“That may be incidentally involved; we don’t know,” Fieger said.

It was after police and medics arrived that “the entire sad scenario gets very, very murky,” Fieger said.

Medics tried “life-saving efforts” on the woman for about half an hour, said Southfield Fire Chief Johnny Menifee said. But the woman showed “no signs of life.”

Fieger said a godmother of the woman, who works in the medical field, was at the house at the time, and told authorities that Beauchamp was not dead. But they allegedly argued that the movements were involuntary, a reaction to the life-saving efforts just applied, Fieger added.

After the fire department consulted with an emergency room doctor at Providence Hospital, who declared the woman dead, the Oakland County Medical Examiner signed off on releasing the woman’s body to the family. The woman was placed into a body bag at about 9 a.m., Fieger said. The James H. Cole Home for Funerals, in Detroit at 16100 Schaefer, took custody of the woman’s body just before 11:30 a.m., Fieger said.

But workers who opened the body bag realized the woman was not dead. The workers were preparing to embalm Beauchamp.

“She was alive, her eyes were open, and she was breathing,” Fieger said.

They called 911, and Detroit Fire Department medics arrived. The woman was breathing. Her heart was beating at a rate of 80 beats per minute.

Beauchamp remains hospitalized in critical condition, said Brian Taylor, a spokesman for the Detroit Medical Center.

Lawyer Geoffrey Fieger Background

Geoffrey Fieger is a veteran of the legal battlefield. His command of the law, both as a trial litigator and as a scholar, has made him one of the most sought-after attorneys in the nation. Though he has always practiced from his firm’s home in Southfield, Michigan, he is known all over the world for his charismatic trial presence and his refusal to back down from the battles that matter.

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Heartbreaking: FDNY Says Forget Never Forget 9-11

Never Forget 9-11

Never Forget 9-11 events are discouraged according to a new letter sent by FDNY leadership. A letter sent to FDNY members from department leadership urged members not to attend events marking the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks due to health and safety concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

The letter from Commissioner Daniel Nigro and Chief of Department John Sudnik, issued last week, states that members’ commitment to remembering the fallen must be balanced with an obligation to protect the health and safety of current and former members and their families.

Never Forget 9-11 - Twin Lights Replace Twin Towers

“While our workforce has a high level of health and fitness, we must remember that many of our September 11th families and retired members – who we would normally welcome and encourage to attend September 11th events – are in groups that are most at risk for COVID-19 due to age and health,” the letter states.

Nigro and Sudnik wrote that the department is strongly recommending that members forgo the events but that units who still decide to participate in events must follow guidelines set to prevent the spread of the virus, including holding any events or gatherings outdoors only, limiting gatherings to 50 people maximum and requiring all attendees to wear face coverings.

The statement does not mention the 400 expected layoffs to FDNY EMS – many of whom have been on the front lines of the current disaster.

Never Forget 9-11

The concept that FDNY leadership would be so tone deaf to their front line responders – many of whom signed up because of September 11 is unsurprising from this administration per one engine captain. “Once again there is a stark difference between the firehouse and the clubhouse,” he continued.

 

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North Carolina EMT Angel Cureton Needs A Heart Transplant

Angel Cureton, Shelby North Carolina EMT

Angel Cureton knows how quick medical tragedy can change a life. As a North Carolina EMT she wanted to help make those situations better. She didn’t think at 43 it might happen to her per reports in her local newspaper.

Cureton, a Shelby EMT experienced a massive heart attack in June. Since then Cureton has been in and out of surgery to repair the damage, now she is facing the decision of having a heart transplant or living off a machine for years.

Angel Cureton, Shelby North Carolina EMT

“Just a few weeks before I was getting up and going about. In a blink of an eye, everything changed,” she said.

An EMT Knows: Moments Matter When Little Things Matter

June 15 started like any other morning for Angel and her husband, Ricky Cureton. She got up around 7 a.m. to get ready for the day, but as she was getting ready Ricky noticed she looked off. She had experienced an arterial heart spasm eight years before this, but since then Angel had been fine.

“She took a nitro and sat down on the floor in our bathroom,” he said.

After that episode, Angel decided to continue to work.

“I went to work and got there around 7:45. I just didn’t feel right,” she said.

Her fellow EMTs put her on a heart monitor to make sure she was OK. At first, nothing abnormal showed up, but they kept monitoring to be sure and called Ricky to come pick her up.

“By the time they got the stretcher to her office, she could barely walk,” he said.

The EMT Becomes The Patient

Angel Cureton was packed into an ambulance and rushed to Atrium Health-Cleveland in Shelby.

“We went to the hospital, and it was a blur from there,” she said.

“They put her on nitro drip and couldn’t get relief. She started having a lot more pain,” Ricky said.

Angels condition was deteriorating, and she needed more help than could be done in Shelby. She was flown do Charlotte for a double bypass.

During all of this, Angel was vaguely aware of what was going on. She began hearing codes and words she used in the past on patients. What she heard wasn’t reassuring.

While most people don’t understand the codes they hear as doctor’s work on them, she knew that she was having a heart attack that it was causing major damage.

“It’s a little scarier,” she said.

Doctors with the catheterization laboratory in Charlotte were able to get Angel into surgery quickly.

“By the time I got there she was coming out of surgery. The doctor said she is doing alright but said he didn’t like some of the things he saw,” said Ricky.

The next few days were filled with ups and downs as Angel tried to recover but one night in the ICU her conditions went downhill. She was taken back to surgery for a double by-pass. She began to make improvements after that, her husband said.

A Trip To The Beach Isn’t

The improvements were enough that the couple was given the all-clear to head to a beach family trip that was planned months ahead of time. They packed their bags and headed south to meet up with their kids and other family members.

“We got there and she did good the whole ride,” Ricky said.

But things took a turn, and Angel was transported back to Charlotte.

There, doctors discovered the double bypass had failed, and her heart was not circulating blood properly. After another round of tests and medication, the Curetons were sent back home. But Angel needs a heart transplant or left ventricular assist device that would keep her heart pumping.

Paying the Bills

As the couple worked on keeping Angel alive, the medical bills began to pile up and neither of them has medical insurance.

“The helicopter ride is $36,000. The open heart surgery is $150,000 and that was just one surgery,” Ricky said.

The two are working to get her on disability, but the process has been anything but easy. With his wife’s income gone and their saving dwindling, they have received support from some community members and friends.

Family friends also organized a fundraiser with Lafayette Street Grill in Shelby today. The restaurant will be giving 10 percent of all sales on Friday to the family to help pay the medical bills. There will also be t-shirts for sale and live music by OLM & N-Repair.

“If she is well enough, Angel will be out there,” Ricky said.

Angel Cureton: One More Hospital Visit

Two weeks ago, while on a telemedicine call, the doctor noticed the Angel was not looking well and suggested she get to the hospital immediately. One of the surgeries needed to happen now or she would die.

But without insurance, the two were fighting a battle to get any surgery approved.

“The doctors basically said we are not going to let this woman just sit here and die,” Angel said.

She received the left ventricular assist device and has been feeling better with each passing day.

“I have to brag on the doctors in Charlotte. They have been amazing. If it was not for them, I would not be here today,” she said.

She may be on the mend, but there are still many battles ahead. The device she has in place now can last for years, but doctors are still recommending a heart transplant. With O negative blood, it will be difficult for her to find a match, so no decisions have been made yet.

Rescue The Rescuers

Never Forget 9-11 Foundation has a #RescueTheRescuer Fund set up to assist in cases like this. If you are able, please donate here.

Angel Cureton Fundraiser

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Paramedic Arrested for Pointing Gun

A 34-year-old paramedic with Mobile Life Support Services (MLSS), Brandon Selleck, has been arrested by New York State Police for pointing a handgun at the victim during a domestic dispute.

The Troopers say that on July 7, just before 1:00 am, Selleck was involved in a domestic dispute in Wappingers Falls, leading the other party to report it to police.

Several hours later, at 12:30 pm, Troopers arrested Selleck at work at the Mobile Life ambulance station in Buchanan.  The paramedic was charged with felony Criminal Possession of a Weapon and the misdemeanors of Menacing with a Weapon and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance.  He was released on his own recognizance.

Selleck’s charge of possession of a controlled substance is because he had prescription amphetamines without a valid prescription. It is unclear if his behavior is related to undiagnoses mental health issues.

MLSS Paramedics On Duty

Other MLSS Paramedic Comments

Selleck’s coworkers are angered that Mobile Life allowed him to return to work the following day.  “He pointed a gun during an argument.  That’s frightening,” said a fellow MLSS paramedic.  A second medic added “To make it worse, he supposedly had illegal amphetamines.  If he is using drugs and is capable of pointing a pistol at another person, we don’t feel safe around him.”  The coworkers asked to have their identities withheld for fear of retaliation by Selleck.

 

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Michigan Funeral Home Brings Back Dead

A Michigan funeral home brings back the dead ti life. A Detroit woman on Sunday “did not have signs of life,” according to paramedics who declared her dead earlier in the day, but staff at the James H. Cole Funeral Home found the 20-year-old was breathing and alive.

Michigan Funeral Home

According to local news, paramedics with Southfield Fire Department on Sunday responded to a call about a woman in cardiac arrest. Southfield Fire Dept. released a statement stating in part, “The paramedics performed CPR and other life reviving methods for 30 minutes. Given medical readings and the condition of the patient, it was determined at that time that she did not have signs of life.”

Reports indicate a police officer “allegedly saw her move and breathe and called the fire crews back, but fire crews claim those were the side effects of the medication given to her.”

Michigan Funeral Home

The woman was taken to the Cole Funeral Home in Detroit. Employees there discovered she was still breathing and called EMS. She was taken to a hospital. No other information on the location, her name or current condition was immediately available Monday.

“We couldn’t believe it,” said Dave Fornell, deputy commissioner of the Detroit fire department, who added that her heart rate was 80.

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FDNY EMS: Lives Are At Risk

FDNY EMS Respond

The FDNY EMS union President says “lives are at risk” as the City of New York plans to cut 400 EMS positions.

FDNY EMS Local 257 President Oren Barzilay said in a statement to NBC News, “Even with the threat of a second wave of COVID19 looming and two recent outbreaks in Brooklyn, Bill de Blasio and his team at City Hall wants to balance the city’s budget on our backs, eliminating some 400 emergency medical responder positions and placing every New Yorker’s life at risk.”

FDNY EMS Respond To Trouble Breathing

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s press secretary did not deny that the city was preparing to lay off FDNY EMS providers, and said in a statement that the city is dealing with a budget hole due to a lack of stimulus funds and borrowing authority. He said the city is working with unions to avoid some layoffs where possible but that every city agency is facing layoffs.

De Blasio previously said in May that FDNY EMS layoffs were “on the table” due to an estimated $7.4 billion in revenue losses from the pandemic.

FDNY EMS

The FDNY has seen historic call volumes during the COVID19 pandemic, with EMS providers responding to up to 6,500 calls per day, the most since 9-11. At least eleven FDNY members, including four EMS providers, have died secondary to COVID19.

“Yesterday, we were praised as heroes, essential workers saving lives. Today, the city government treats us like zeros,” Barzilay told NBC. “New Yorkers who lived through this deadly pandemic know otherwise.”

Some responders liken the situation to September 11 when responders were universally praised only to be forgotten when the smoke cleared.

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