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THE HERALD'S VIEW Giving victims better chance
Editorial Posted on Tue, Jan. 10, 2006
When diver Mollie Yaley was overcome off San Carlos Beach in 2002, the ambulance crew assigned to save her had at least two strikes against it. First, the paramedic and emergency medical technician both had histories of recreational drug use. Second, they were operating without any formal directive on cold-water drownings.
The paramedic later testified as part of a wrongful-death lawsuit brought by Yaley's family that such a protocol wasn't needed here because the water of Monterey Bay averages 75 degrees. As evidenced by the wet suits worn by divers and surfers, he was some 20 degrees off.
Just this month, as a result of the Yaley lawsuit, Monterey County's Office of Emergency Medical Services has enacted cold-water drowning procedures for rescue workers. It's hard to assess whether Yaley would have survived if the protocols had been in place then, but it's a safe bet they will save other lives.
The late-arriving ambulance team declared Yaley dead on the beach and stopped CPR without consulting a physician. After an emergency room doctor ordered lifesaving efforts to resume, she was revived, and she held on for several days. A key component of the new protocol is a medical maxim: "The cold-water drowning/near-drowning victim is not dead until he/she is warm and dead..."
The protocol goes on to prescribe exactly how paramedics should assess and transport the patient. It says, "Initiate transport as soon as possible," which would have been great advice on San Carlos Beach that day.
Yaley's parents settled the lawsuit shortly before trial last year and received a small financial award from the county or the county's primary ambulance provider, American Medical Response, which has since been replaced by another company. The parents said the lawsuit wasn't about money; it was about saving lives. They did the right thing by taking it to court and, now, the county has done the right thing, too.
Editorial Posted on Tue, Jan. 10, 2006
When diver Mollie Yaley was overcome off San Carlos Beach in 2002, the ambulance crew assigned to save her had at least two strikes against it. First, the paramedic and emergency medical technician both had histories of recreational drug use. Second, they were operating without any formal directive on cold-water drownings.
The paramedic later testified as part of a wrongful-death lawsuit brought by Yaley's family that such a protocol wasn't needed here because the water of Monterey Bay averages 75 degrees. As evidenced by the wet suits worn by divers and surfers, he was some 20 degrees off.
Just this month, as a result of the Yaley lawsuit, Monterey County's Office of Emergency Medical Services has enacted cold-water drowning procedures for rescue workers. It's hard to assess whether Yaley would have survived if the protocols had been in place then, but it's a safe bet they will save other lives.
The late-arriving ambulance team declared Yaley dead on the beach and stopped CPR without consulting a physician. After an emergency room doctor ordered lifesaving efforts to resume, she was revived, and she held on for several days. A key component of the new protocol is a medical maxim: "The cold-water drowning/near-drowning victim is not dead until he/she is warm and dead..."
The protocol goes on to prescribe exactly how paramedics should assess and transport the patient. It says, "Initiate transport as soon as possible," which would have been great advice on San Carlos Beach that day.
Yaley's parents settled the lawsuit shortly before trial last year and received a small financial award from the county or the county's primary ambulance provider, American Medical Response, which has since been replaced by another company. The parents said the lawsuit wasn't about money; it was about saving lives. They did the right thing by taking it to court and, now, the county has done the right thing, too.
