Paramedics charged with murder after patient dies from 'asphyxia on stretcher'
A patient has died from asphyxia after two paramedics reportedly neglected his needs and tied him too tightly on a stretcher, an autopsy report showed.
Earl L. Moore, Jr, was reportedly "in the setting of lethargy" when he was placed and restrained facedown on a paramedic transportation cot and carried to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Paramedics Peggy Finley, 44, and Peter Cadigan, 50 have been arrested and charged with murder following the incident.
The two emergency workers were called by police to provide medical assistance to Moore at a home in Springfield, Illinois, US, on December 18.
Officers had found the man was "suffering hallucinations due to alcohol withdrawal", according to a police report.
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But despite the state he was in, the paramedics refused to assist him, while one of them yelled at him to get up and walk to the ambulance by himself.
Peter Cadigan has been charged with murder after patient Earl L. Moore, Jr died at the hospital (Sangamon County Detention Facility)
Peggy Finley can be heard in video footage yelling 'Sit up!' and neglecting the patient's needs (Sangamon County Detention Facility)As seen in body camera footage released by police, Moore was lying on a bed and had rolled on the floor when Finley entered the bedroom.
Finley can be heard yelling "Sit up!" and "You’re gonna have to walk ‘cause we ain’t carrying you! I am seriously not in the mood for this dumb sh*t."
Two of the officers are seen helping Moore outside and onto the gurney. Cadigan helped position Moore and both paramedics strapped him onto the stretcher in a prone position.
Moore died after arriving at the hospital, with a coroner’s autopsy report seen by CNN, stating his cause of death as "compressional and positional asphyxia due to prone facedown restraint on a paramedic transportation cot/stretcher by tightened straps across back and lower body in the setting of lethargy and underlying chronic alcoholism."
Alcohol withdrawal is a medical issue that occurs when a person accustomed to regular alcohol consumption either decreases their intake or cuts it off entirely, according to information from the National Institutes of Health.
Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal vary widely among people experiencing it, and can include anything from insomnia, anxiety, or agitation in mild cases, to delirium tremens, seizures, or hallucinations in severe cases, the agency says.
Teresa Haley, President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People commented on the death of Moor, a Black man, saying it reminded him of George Floyd's killing, the State Journal-Register reported.
She said: "I believe (the paramedics) were treating (Moore) rougher because he was Black. It was hostile to see the video and how they treated him."
A statement from Black Lives Matter Springfield issued late Tuesday afternoon said it was "heartbroken to learn about the senseless killing" of Moore and supported the legal action taken against Finley and Cadigan.
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The statement added that "the Black community faces constant bias and racism in a variety of contexts, including while seeking medical treatment. This is exacerbated for those with co-occurring mental and substance use disorders. Unfortunately, this incident shines a light on how dangerous it can be for the Black community to seek treatment and receive medical care."
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