Sunrise family files federal lawsuit over death of 87-year-old woman during medical emergency
Sunrise, Florida – The family of an elderly woman who died during a medical emergency in Sunrise has filed a federal lawsuit claiming that the way emergency workers and hospital staff handled the situation was wrong and that they violated her civil rights and discriminated against her race.
Calvin Allen Sr. filed the case in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. It is about the death of his mother, Ethel C. Allen, on July 4, 2024. She was 87 years old. The City of Sunrise, Sunrise Fire Rescue workers, the fire chief, Florida Medical Center, and an emergency department doctor are all named as defendants in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges that Allen had congestive heart failure for a long time and relied on an implanted pacemaker-defibrillator to keep her heart rhythm regular. While she was visiting family in Sunrise, she stopped responding at a home, which led to a 911 call. Police and emergency medical services were there in minutes.
The lawsuit says that the responders were explicitly told about Allen’s age, health problems, and the fact that there was a heart monitor next to her bed. However, the plaintiff says that EMS workers started chest compressions after noticing a low pulse instead of cardiac arrest. The complaint says that CPR was done with excessive force and without thinking about her weak state and implanted device, which goes against standard emergency care procedures.
They took Allen to Florida Medical Center, where she was declared dead. The complainant says that the hospital staff said the person died of heart arrest, even though there was no autopsy. The lawsuit also says that there were problems and delays in the process of certifying the death, such as not knowing who was responsible for doing so.
The complaint also claims that EMS workers and hospital staff hid or lied about details about the resuscitation efforts, medical records, and the cause of death. The plaintiff says that these activities caused emotional pain, extra costs associated to the funeral, and made it harder to find out how Allen died.
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The lawsuit alleges there are federal civil rights claims based on several laws, as well as state law grounds for wrongful death and negligence. It says that race had something to do with the care Allen got and that her rights to equal protection and proper medical care were broken. The plaintiff is seeking compensatory damages, declaratory relief, and a jury trial.
