Hillsborough, FL Suspends Four Paramedics With Pay in Treatment of Stroke Victim, Who later died

Hillsborough County has suspended four fire-rescue paramedics for failing to transport or even check vital signs for a 30-year-old woman who showed symptoms of a stroke a few days after she underwent a Caesarian section.

The woman’s mother ended up driving her to Brandon Regional Hospital, but it was too late. Crystle Galloway was so sick she was flown by helicopter across town to Tampa General Hospital, where she later died.

The four paramedics were placed on administrative leave with pay Friday in connection with the rescue call about 3 a.m. on July 4, Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill said Monday. He said Hillsborough County Fire Rescue failed to provide good care to the woman.

"I deeply regret that this has happened and clearly this is unacceptable," Merrill said.

On a gofundme page, Galloway’s mother, Nicole Benhamou, said her daughter left behind two children, including a 5-day-old baby. 

"I really feel like the officers and the EMS fire rescue department failed to help me," she wrote. "Because of them and their negligence, my daughter died."

The incident came to the attention of the county’s Human Resources Department on July 11.

The four workers responded to a request to help a woman who had passed out, had a swollen lip and was drooling, according to information provided to them by dispatchers. The call was given coding that should have alerted the paramedics that the woman was suffering a possible stroke.

On their arrival, they were told she appeared to be suffering from a stroke and "had a C-section the other day." 

Two paramedic units responded to the call, placed by Benhamou. Paramedics helped carry Galloway down from the third floor of her residence but did not examine her, Merrill said.

They later told county officials that Sheriff’s Office deputies who were already on the scene told them that Benhamou wanted to drive the woman to the hospital. 

But they failed to get the mother or Galloway to sign an informed consent form as required. What’s more, in recording the call on their logging system, the paramedics indicated the patient could not be found.

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This story is beyond bizarre in my opinion. If I were that mom I would've been right back on the phone with 911 dispatchers. Either way the victim in this case was obviously in a medical emergency and required help, which means it's clear she couldn't consent so they had to take her regardless if she could pay or not, especially by the mother not signing any papers. This is truly sad and now children are without a mother. 

May this beautiful young woman rest in peace and something is done about this. Those paramedics should be fired, not suspended with pay after failing to do their job.