Current:Home > reviewsSeattle to pay nearly $2M after man dies of a heart attack at address wrongly on 911 blacklist -Wealth Evolution Experts
Seattle to pay nearly $2M after man dies of a heart attack at address wrongly on 911 blacklist
View
Date:2025-04-16 04:19:13
SEATTLE (AP) — The city of Seattle will pay $1.86 million to the family of a man who died of a heart attack after a caution note attached to his address delayed medics’ response.
William Yurek, 48, died in his town house in 2021 after his son called 911 and arriving Seattle Fire Department medics initially waited outside for law enforcement before entering, The Seattle Times reported.
The family alleged Yurek was wrongly included on a blacklist of people known to be hostile to police and fire crews. Yurek lived in the unit a couple of years before his death and the previous tenant had been on the outdated list, according to the lawsuit filed last year.
Medics were told to wait for a law enforcement escort, the lawsuit stated. As Yurek’s condition worsened, his then 13-year-old son called 911 again and was told help was on the way, even though medics had already arrived.
Medics then decided to enter the home without police, but despite their treatment, Yurek died.
“Once inside, medics did everything they could to save Will’s life,” the family’s attorney, Mark Lindquist, said in a news release. “The family has always been grateful to the medics who broke protocol to go in and do their best.”
The city has modified its operating guidelines on the caution notes, Seattle city attorney’s office spokesperson Tim Robinson told the newspaper, saying they expire after 365 days in the system, or get reviewed and renewed. Notes about the need for Seattle Police Department help because of alleged violent or threatening behavior are to be verified after every alarm dispatched to the address, Robinson said.
Relying on addresses, Lindquist said, puts renters and those who move often more at risk.
Seattle also agreed in August to pay $162,500 to a former 911 call center manager who in a lawsuit said he was wrongly punished for bringing up problems at work, including the dispatch practice of the blacklist.
A medical doctor said that without the delay, Yurek would have had a 25% chance of survival, Lindquist said.
“From the beginning, the family wanted the city to take responsibility,” Lindquist said. “That’s happened.”
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
- Florida school district pulls dictionaries and encyclopedias as part of inappropriate content review
- Live updates | Israel rejects genocide case as Mideast tensions rise after US-led strikes in Yemen
- 15 Slammin' Secrets of Save the Last Dance
- Eva Mendes Shares Message of Gratitude to Olympics for Keeping Her and Ryan Gosling's Kids Private
- Blinken meets Chinese and Japanese diplomats, seeks stability as Taiwan voters head to the polls
- 3 Palestinians killed by Israeli army after they attack in West Bank settlement
- New York City built a migrant tent camp on a remote former airfield. Then winter arrived
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- Italy’s justice minister nixes extradition of priest sought by Argentina in murder-torture cases
Ranking
- Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
- Stop, Drop, and Shop Free People’s Sale on Sale, With an Extra 25% Off Their Boho Basics & More
- Colorado Town Appoints Legal Guardians to Implement the Rights of a Creek and a Watershed
- Ford vehicles topped list of companies affected by federal recalls last year, feds say
- Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear ready to campaign for Harris-Walz after losing out for spot on the ticket
- More drone deliveries, new AI tech: Here's a guide to what Walmart unveiled at CES 2024
- Khloe Kardashian Shares Why She Doesn’t “Badmouth” Ex Tristan Thompson
- 'Mean Girls' cast 2024: Who plays Regina George, Cady Heron and The Plastics in new movie?
Recommendation
New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
A Florida hotel cancels a Muslim conference, citing security concerns after receiving protest calls
Guatemalans hope for a peaceful transition of power with Bernardo Arévalo’s upcoming inauguration
Mayday call from burning cargo ship in New Jersey prompted doomed rescue effort for 2 firefighters
'Meet me at the gate': Watch as widow scatters husband's ashes, BASE jumps into canyon
Crash between school bus, coal truck sends 20 children to hospital
Federal jury finds Puerto Rico ex-legislator Charbonier guilty on corruption charges
Rescue kitten purrs as orphaned baby monkey snuggles up with her at animal sanctuary