Illinois appellate court, in a 2-to-1 holding, reinstates a wrongful death action against a fire district after EMTs waited seven minutes before administering drugs to a woman who was suffering an allergic reaction to walnuts, causing her throat to swell shut, resulting in her death. The lower court improvidently dismissed the action pursuant to the Illinois Emergency Medical Services Act. Kirwan v. Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Fire Prot. Dist., #2-02-1376, 2004 Ill. App. Lexis 762 (2nd Dist. 2004). {N/R}
     City pays $2.7 million in a settlement to the parents of an asthmatic teenager who died while waiting for a fire dept. ambulance; the jury had awarded $50 million, but the court set aside the verdict as excessive. The parents claimed that 911 dispatchers failed to give proper mouth-to-mouth resuscitation instructions to them when they called. Gant v. City of Chicago, Cir. Ct. #97-L-3579 (Cook Co., Ill. 2001). {N/R}
     Federal appeals court holds that award of ambulance franchise is immune from federal antitrust laws. Ambulance Serv. of Reno, Inc. v. Nevada Ambulance Serv., 819 F.2d 910 (9th Cir. 1987).
     Jury awards $500,000 against ambulance service; aggravation of swimming pool injuries alleged. Rosa v. Foothill Ambulance Serv., Super. Ct. El Dorado Co., Colo. #22303, 20 ATLA L. Rep. 276 (1976).
     Stretcher fall precipitates liability. Rhodeman v. Foothill Ambulance Service, Inc., 394 N.Y.S.2d 424 (A.D. 1977).
     Governmental immunity not eroded because fees charged for services or because EMS service competes with private ambulances. Parvu v. Harrison Twp. Fire Dept., 255 N.W.2d 655 (Mich. App. 1977).
     $335,000 judgment awarded against fire chief and municipality; ambulance requests denied, wife and fetus died. Pettee v. Vil. of Elk Grove Village, Cir. Ct. Cook Co. Ill. (1978).
     Hundred thousand dollar verdict for ambulance refusal upheld Colorado Appellate Court; outrageous conduct charged. DeCicco v. Trinidad Area Health Assn., 573 P.2d 559 (Colo. App. 1977), cert. den. (Colo. 1978).

See Also: Civil Liability