Infant Dies After Responding EMT Refuses To Give CPR Despite Dispatcher’s Pleas

An infant in Detroit, Michigan was struggling to breathe when the family phoned for emergency help. However, instead of getting the help they needed, the responding EMT pulled near the home and waited almost six minutes before calling dispatchers and informing them she would not be performing CPR on the dying infant. EMT Ann Marie Thomas says she didn’t want to “be on no scene 10 minutes doing CPR” because “you know how these families get.” Therefore, the EMT sat in her medically equip SUV while the infant’s frantic mother performed CPR on her dying child unassisted, ignoring the dispatchers pleas for help and her own supervisor’s demand that she enter the home. It would take 19 minutes for medical personnel willing to help to arrive. Sadly, the infant would die the next day.

Click on Detroit reports that an 8-month-old baby girl died the day after an EMT refused to perform CPR on the child who was struggling to breathe. Ann Marie Thomas, who formerly worked at the Detroit Fire Department as an EMT, was near the infant’s home on another call when a frantic mother dialed 911 about a baby struggling to breathe. The EMT supervisor informed Thomas that she would need to “make patient contact” as the child was having difficulty breathing. However, instead of making her way to the scene that was just minutes away, Thomas parked her medically-equip SUV and refused to offer care to the dying infant.

The 911 call was released to the public in which the dispatcher can be heard pleading with Thomas to care for the child. The dispatcher tells Thomas, who is referred to as Romeo 33 in the call, that the baby was born prematurely and requires an oxygen machine.

“Uh, Romeo 33? Updated information that the child is not breathing. The baby was hooked up to an oxygen machine because it was premature. Romeo 33?”

When Thomas again refused to enter the home, the dispatcher explains that the child had stopped breathing and the mother was now performing CPR.

“Romeo 33, Medic 51, be advised CPR is being performed on your scene. Romeo 33, Medic 51. CPR is being performed by the baby’s mother.”

Even with this heart-breaking new information, Thomas remained firm that she was not going to enter the home as she didn’t want to “be on no scene 10 minutes doing CPR.”

“I’m not about to be on no scene 10 minutes doing CPR, you know how these families get.”

Eventually, an ambulance would make it to the scene and temporarily revive the infant. However, the next day, the infant would pass away. Following the incident, the Detroit Fire Department opened an investigation against Ann Marie Thomas and determined that she was not fit to work for the department any longer. She was fired and lost her appeal in the case.

Should the EMT that refused to treat the dying infant face charges in the criminal or civil court?

[Image Credit: Click Detroit]