Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone
The Jacksonville, Florida Fire and Rescue Department is facing a wrongful death lawsuit over the death of a 15 year old baseball player.
On May 15, 2010 Andrew Cohn was playing at Dinsmore Park when he collided with a runner at first base. The collision is believed to have caused an irregular heart rhythm leading to cardiac arrest.
His family claims that Jacksonville Fire and Rescue was negligent in their response. Crews were initially delayed due to a train blocking their route, and failed to promptly notify dispatch. Crews then allegedly wasted vital time due to a locked gate and inexplicably standing in the outfield before attending to Andrew.
According to Andrew’s father, Harold Cohn, "The crowd was just shrill, yelling at them to jump the fence, go around, hurry. There were two or three occasions I look up in the outfield and saw two people standing there with medical bags just standing there looking and peering out here."
Harold also claims the crews did not bring a defibrillator with them, and then lied on a report about using one. Since the accident, the Cohns have been very active is fundraising to support AED purchases for schools and recreational areas. The have told reporters that any damages they receive will go toward purchasing more AEDs.
