NEWS & POLITICS ARCHIVES

Will the City Be Hit By a Storm of Snow Suits?

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​Yeah, nobody saw this coming: The Daily News reports that “a Brooklyn man whose wife died of a heart attack after waiting more than 90 minutes for an ambulance during last month’s blizzard” is filing a $20 million lawsuit against the city. Yes, the onslaught of post-blizzard litigation has begun!

58-year-old Robert Davis says he called 911 at 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 27 when his 63-year-old wife, Claire Reed, “was experiencing chest pains.” David says he called again just before 8 a.m. when Reed’s pains got worse.

Via the News:

An FDNY report obtained by The News indicates medics were assigned to the call at 9:07 a.m. — 97 minutes after David said he first called for help.

The medics arrived at the couple’s basement apartment on Courtelyou Road in Flatbush three minutes later, but Reed had already stopped breathing and had no pulse, according to the FDNY report. “If they got there on time, I think she would have had a better chance,” Davis said.

The FDNY report notes the ambulance crew responded to the scene with lights flashing and sirens on. It also indicates that the nearly 2 feet of snow that had fallen overnight wasn’t a factor.

The “conditions causing delay” section is blank — including the box labeled “weather.”

The News points out that Davis’ is actually the second blizzard/death-related suit against the city. 75-year-old Laura Freeman’s family sued the city for $20 million last week, claiming she died while waiting three hours for an ambulance in her Corona, Queens, home.

 

We’re assuming this won’t be the last blizzard-related suit to hit the city. (Although we’d say some people — like the 22-year-old woman whose newborn died after she waited nine hours for an ambulance — definitely have a case.)

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