Current:Home > NewsLawsuit says Tennessee hospital shouldn’t have discharged woman who died, police should have helped -前500条预览:
Lawsuit says Tennessee hospital shouldn’t have discharged woman who died, police should have helped
View
Date:2025-04-12 22:07:44
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal lawsuit filed Friday says that a woman who died last February shouldn’t have been discharged from a Tennessee hospital, forced to leave despite her pleas for more help and unassisted by security guards and police during a medical emergency.
The son of 60-year-old Lisa Edwards sued the city of Knoxville, a security company, individual officers and security guards, Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, its parent company and a physician group.
The death sparked public outrage after the Knoxville Police Department released video early last year showing officers accusing Edwards of faking mobility and breathing problems and ignoring her repeated pleas for help.
Edwards used a wheelchair because of a disability from a previous stroke, the lawsuit says.
Security officers at the hospital called police Feb. 5, 2023, saying that Edwards had been evaluated and discharged, but she was refusing to leave. Several police officers were investigated. The lawsuit filed in Knoxville names three officers who were later disciplined by the city’s police department, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.
The Knox County District Attorney’s office declined to press criminal charges against the officers after an autopsy determined that Edwards died of a stroke and that “at no time did law enforcement interaction cause or contribute to Ms. Edwards’ death.”
Additionally, the hospital said it conducted a thorough internal investigation of Edwards’ care and found that her “medical treatment and hospital discharge were clinically appropriate.”
The hospital said changes were being made to security procedures. Several security officers who were working at the facility when Edwards was removed are no longer working there, and the hospital and its parent company, Covenant Health, announced plans to add empathy training for security guards.
Edwards was “rolled by hospital security guards into the freezing cold wearing only paper scrubs, placed under physical arrest, and forcibly removed by police officers from the hospital property,” according to the lawsuit, which says it was 29 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 1.7 Celsius) at the time.
A video released by police showed officers struggle for about 25 minutes to move Edwards into a police van and finally a cruiser. Edwards repeatedly asks for help. But she is rebuffed by officers and hospital security guards who become frustrated with her inability to step up into the van and tell her she is faking her incapacity.
After she is placed in a police cruiser, video shows Edwards trying to pull herself upright repeatedly, but eventually she slumps over out of sight. Several minutes later, one of the officers performs a traffic stop on another vehicle while Edwards remains in the backseat.
When he opens the rear door, Edwards is unresponsive. He calls dispatch for an ambulance, telling them, “I don’t know if she’s faking it or what, but she’s not answering me.”
Edwards was pronounced dead at the Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center the following day.
“This was an emergency medical condition that began and worsened on hospital property and that was unequivocally preventable and treatable,” the lawsuit states.
The 18-count lawsuit claims violations of the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth and 14th amendments, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act. It alleges a conspiracy to violate federal civil rights and violations of state laws, including a wrongful death claim.
A Covenant Health spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit. A city of Knoxville spokesperson declined to comment as well.
veryGood! (84)
Related
- SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
- Horoscopes Today, March 8, 2024
- Man convicted of 2 killings in Delaware and accused of 4 in Philadelphia gets 7 life terms
- A St. Louis driver has been found guilty in a crash that severed a teen athlete’s legs
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- The Most Shocking Moments in Oscars History, From Will Smith's Slap to La La Land's Fake Win
- Virginia Tech star Elizabeth Kitley ruled out of ACC tournament with knee injury
- Weather beatdown leaves towering Maine landmark surrounded by crime scene tape
- The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
- Naomi Ruth Barber King, civil rights activist and sister-in-law to MLK Jr., dead at 92
Ranking
- The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
- Spring Ahead with Kate Spade Outlet’s Weekend Deals – $59 Crossbodies, $29 Wristlets & More
- Lake Mead's water levels rose again in February, highest in 3 years. Will it last?
- The Absolutely Fire Story of How TikToker Campbell Puckett Became Husband Jett Puckett's Pookie
- Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
- 'Normalize the discussion around periods': Jessica Biel announces upcoming children's book
- Duchess of Sussex, others on SXSW panel discuss issues affecting women and mothers
- Selena Gomez Reveals What She Loves Most About Boyfriend Benny Blanco
Recommendation
Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
Lawmakers hope bill package will ease Rhode Island’s housing crisis
RNC votes to install Donald Trump’s handpicked chair as former president tightens control of party
Why The Traitors’ CT Tamburello and Trishelle Cannatella Aren't Apologizing For That Finale Moment
NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
Selena Gomez Reveals What She Loves Most About Boyfriend Benny Blanco
Program that allows 30,000 migrants from 4 countries into the US each month upheld by judge
Meghan Markle Slams “Cruel” Bullying During Pregnancies With Her and Prince Harry’s Kids Archie and Lili