South Florida Injury Lawyer Blog
The widower of an 81-year-old woman who bled to death while waiting for emergency workers to arrive at her home is suing Comcast for her Palm Beach County wrongful death. The woman, Sidell Reiner, died from injuries that she sustained while making Thanksgiving dinner for her family last year. Seymour Reiner, her husband, was not home at the time. He had left for the airport to pick up their grandkids.
According to his Palm Beach, Florida wrongful death complaint, Reiner was setting the table when a wine glass dropped on her foot. She began to bleed heavily and dialed 0 on her phone to get help. Unfortunately, the Comcast operator couldn’t figure out Reiner’s address.
Reiner is said to have called several times for help, but it was 17 minutes before Palm Beach County Fire Rescue arrived at the scene. By then, Sidell was unable to answer the door, and rescuers left the premise without looking through the windows. If they had done so, Seymour’s wrongful death lawyer says that they might have seen blood everywhere and realized that the elderly woman was in trouble.
Seymour returned home to discover his wife dead on the floor. She died from a severed artery in her foot. The couple were married for 62 years.
Seymour says that he also intends to sue Palm Beach County and Boynton Beach for his wife’s Florida wrongful death. Meantime, a representative for Boynton Beach has said that because the Seymour address was outside its city limits, the call was sent over to the Palm Beach County Fire Rescue.
Those involved in the handling of a 911 emergency call can be held liable for Palm Beach wrongful death or personal injury if their negligence contributed to causing someone to suffer further injuries or health issues. Paramedics responding to a call and their employers can be sued for Palm Beach medical malpractice if failure to provide the proper medical care causes a patient to suffer further.
There may be more than one party who should be held liable for your Boynton Beach personal injuries or a loved one’s wrongful death.
Lawsuit Blames Comcast For Elderly Woman’s Death, MSNBC, October 28, 2010
Read the Complaint (PDF)
Related Web Resources:
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue