California Medic Sued For Posting Photos of Patient Online With Insensitive Hashtags

Posted by: Curt Varone November 14, 2016 4 Comments

A California medic who posted photos of a badly injured motorcyclist on Instagram is being sued by the victim’s family. The photos of the victim’s badly mangled leg is not all that upset the victims family. The family is also upset about the hashtags that accompanied the photos.

The accident occurred earlier this year in Vallejo, involving a paramedic from Falcon Critical Care Transport who reportedly posted the photos along with a comment:
“This is what happens when you’re careless in the rain on a motorcycle” #byebyeankle, #thelouderyouscreamthefasterwego and #oncethedoorscloseyourassismine.

The victim suffered catastrophic injuries but survived, although he lost one leg. When his family learned of the photos and comments and complained, the medic removed them and apologized.

About Curt Varone

Curt Varone has over 45 years of fire service experience and 35 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014, 4th ed. 2022) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.
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