After ambulance delay, family in mourning meets with fire officials
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After ambulance delay, family in mourning meets with fire official Video by fox4now.com
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NAPLES - The family of Chaz Minard came to the Golden Gate fire station Tuesday looking for answers. Instead, they found more frustration.
"I still don't have answers," said Chaz's father, Charles. "I have a dead son and no answers."
Minard wants to know why his 25-year-old son looked bruised after paramedics brought him to the hospital after he went into cardiac arrest over a month ago.
"I personally think they dropped my son," said Minard, "and hit his head on the corner of the bed."
Photos taken of Chaz in the hospital show a swollen and purple ear with what appears to be a blister on the corner. Golden Gate's acting fire chief met with Minard behind closed doors telling him Chaz wasn't injured as paramedics got him from the bed onto the floor to do CPR.
"Our crews did not, to their knowledge, cause any injury whatsoever to the patient," said Acting Chief Nolan Sapp. "We sympathize with the parents and we truly are sorry for their loss. Our crews did everything they could in accordance to protocol."
Minard also questions why it took 12 minutes for an ambulance to arrive at his house. He says the family dialed 911 but that EMS officials admitted a "glitch" occurred preventing an ambulance from being notified or dispatched.
By chance, the crew at another EMS station heard the call over the radio and dispatched themselves.
"Are you satisfied with the answers you're getting so far?," asked Fox 4 reporter Matt Grant.
"Not at all, no," said Minard. "I'm getting pushed away."
Chaz was taken off of life support a week after he was taken to the hospital. His family wonders if he might still be alive if an ambulance had arrived sooner.
Last week, EMS officials told Fox 4 they were investigating the ambulance delay.
"I don't know the details of how long that [ambulance] took," said Collier County EMS Chief Walter Kopka. "When we know the details we will certainly talk about that with the family."
A report on the investigation still isn't done a month and a half after the glitch occurred. In the meantime, Minard says he plans to keep asking questions fighting to find out what went wrong.
"I think people messed up and they are running scared," said Minard. "They are trying to figure out how they are going to answer for it."
According to Minard, EMS officials say the report could be available Wednesday.
Matt Grant
mgrant@fox4now.com
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