$2,000,000 Settlement for Negligent Ambulance & Emergency Treatment

The estate of a 35-year-old immigrant worker from the Dominican Republic accepted $2,000,000 in settlement with the Township of Bloomfield. The man died shortly after suffering a seizure at the factory where he worked in Bloomfield, New Jersey. The case was scheduled to go to trial on February 4, 2008.

The Bloomfield police and EMT’s, responding to a 911 call for a seizure, claimed that due to the man’s violent and combative behavior, it was necessary to use force, and restrained him with handcuffs, which lead to respiratory arrest. Breathing was briefly restored but the man died later at the hospital. An autopsy confirmed that his death was due to mechanical asphyxia with restraint.

The Plaintiffs asserted that the police and EMT’s were improperly trained, unfamiliar with how to treat a post seizure patient, and used unnecessary and excessive force resulting in death.