A mayor in New York said he was “flabbergasted” on Thursday after learning a man who was kicked out of an ambulance during a medical crisis died weeks later.
Medical personnel in Rochester responded to assist the man on Nov. 30, according to a news release from the city. Video released by Mayor Malik D. Evans showed the man, who was having difficulty breathing, being asked to leave the ambulance, the release said.
City officials said the man was asked to wait on the street until another ambulance arrived to transport him to the hospital. He then fell to the sidewalk, but was not attended to by medical personnel for over two minutes, according to the release.
The man died more than two weeks later. The news release did not provide the man’s name or any additional details on his death.
Evans said he learned of the incident Tuesday and that he was “flabbergasted” by it, WHAM reported. He ordered ambulance provider American Medical Response (AMR) to conduct an internal investigation.
“Even though this was a medical scene, there are always lessons to be learned — particularly as it relates to what type of ambulance services our medical services our community are experiencing,” Evans said. “City residents are people, and they deserve to be treated humanely and with the same attention as anyone else.”
Police responded to the scene at the time of the incident for a reported assault against an EMT. Officers were present when the man fell. Police Chief David Smith also called for an internal investigation.
“I want to know why they chose to call the police,” Evans said. “I want to know why personnel required someone in distress to be removed from an ambulance instead of being taken directly to the hospital.”
AMR is “committed to working to determine the reasons this incident occurred, address the gaps in the care that was provided to this patient, and fix whatever led to this unacceptable situation,” the city said in its release.
Evans said he will provide updates as he learns more.
“We must get to the bottom of this,” Evans said. “We must understand how and why this occurred and we must identify processes and safe guards to insure that this does not ever happen again.”
Watch the footage below:
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