Slow NYC Emergency Response After Snowstorm

NEW YORK, NY, January 16, 2011

Ice and snow conditions in New York increased the chances of snow related deaths - some, possibly, preventable. Apparently, New York was unprepared for the blizzard. City officials ignored blizzard warnings and then refused to call a snow emergency.

Throughout the blizzard and the aftermath, stories have been circulating about people who suffered wrongful deaths and serious medical problems while waiting for ambulances to reach them.

"The City's emergency response system dealt with a tremendous number of calls in the days after the blizzard, but if officials could have been more prepared I believe some of these deaths could have been prevented," said New York personal injury lawyer David Perecman.

A 3-month-old child was left brain dead after unplowed, snow-clogged routes prevented EMS workers from reaching him quickly enough. On top of the fifteen minutes it took to get through to 911, it took a half-hour to get the boy to the emergency room.

A Brooklyn woman called 911 several times on Monday to report she was in labor. She delivered an unconscious baby who was later pronounced dead.

A 75-year old woman died in Queens, New York after having difficulty breathing. For over an hour, her daughter unsuccessfully tried to reach a 911 operator. Finally, a neighbor got though but then an ambulance took more than 2 1/2 hours to arrive, with emergency responders trudging through the snow on foot to reach her home.

New York personal injury lawyers are also waiting for more information on an alleged sabotage effort by the New York City Sanitation Department which was designed to slow the snow cleanup. According to The New York Post, New York Sanitation Department supervisors ordered their drivers to further hamper the blizzard cleanup efforts to protest budget cuts in the outer boroughs. This move slowed efforts of emergency-services vehicles and may have been a major contributor to some of the wrongful deaths.

"The fact that snow removal has been so slow increases the chances of many types of preventable personal injury accidents," said New York personal injury lawyer David Perecman.

Article provided by The Perecman Firm
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