Quote:Dead Wrong: She's Alive
EMTs leave Park Slope grandma
on floor for hours



Brooklyn great-grandmother was mistakenly declared dead by paramedics — a blunder that went undiscovered for hours, authorities said yesterday.

Instead of being rushed to the hospital, 77-year-old Frances Foster was left unconscious on the bathroom floor of her Park Slope apartment Saturday as loved ones grieved what they thought was the retired nurse's death.

"I called everyone and had to tell them my mother was dead, then only to call back and say she's alive," said Kim Foster Littlejohn, 40, of Queens. "She could have been at the hospital getting taken care of. What a costly mistake."

She said a medical examiner's official didn't discover her mother was alive until he started to put her into a body bag: "He told me ... she suddenly moved and opened her eyes and he jumped back, startled."

Two paramedics were placed on desk duty and Foster lay in a coma with a stroke yesterday as her daughter and authorities clashed over exactly how long the error went undetected.

Littlejohn said she hadn't heard from her mother for about 10 days. She became worried when she couldn't reach her by phone Saturday and finally called police after the superintendent wouldn't let her into Foster's 10th St. apartment.

Apparent Rigor Mortis

Police had to climb into the seventh-floor apartment through the terrace, and found Foster sprawled on the bathroom floor. Littlejohn said a police sergeant told her "my mother was decomposing and he didn't want me to see her that way."


Kim Foster Littlejohn (r.) and daughter Dorris are angry after EMTs pronounced Kim Littlejohn's mother, Frances Foster, dead ...
Authorities said two city Emergency Medical Service technicians later arrived and declared Foster dead at 2:21 p.m.

Donald Faeth, vice president of Local 2507, which represents the city's 2,600 EMTs and paramedics, said Foster was "cold to the touch."

One of her legs was bent and wouldn't straighten, leading the EMTs to assume rigor mortis had set in, Faeth said. There also was a stench in the air, he said.

Faeth said one of the EMTs has 16 years' experience while the other was "brand new."

After declaring Foster dead, the EMTs left her apartment while police remained to await the arrival of someone from the city medical examiner's office — standard procedure in such cases.

Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner's office, said her office was notified of the presumed death at 3:41 p.m. A physician's assistant was dispatched to Foster's home and at 5:35 p.m. reported that Foster was alive, Borakove said.

But Foster's daughter and a neighbor said the mistake wasn't discovered until 7 p.m. — seven hours, they said, after police arrived at the scene.

'Unfortunate Mistake'


... and left her on floor for hours. She was alive.
Foster was taken to the intensive care unit of New York Methodist Hospital, where she was listed in critical condition yesterday, said hospital spokeswoman Susan LaRosa.

Faeth said the ambulance crew that rushed Foster to New York Methodist said the hospital had a hard time finding her pulse. Her blood pressure was apparently only 60, while her body temperature was just 87 degrees.

"It looks like this is an unfortunate mistake," Faeth said.

The EMTs, whose names were not released, will remain on desk duty pending an investigation by a physician. Possible penalties range from a reprimand to termination.

Littlejohn said that her mother, who had worked as a pediatric nurse at Coney Island Hospital for 40 years, hadn't any specific health problems. But she had been in decline after losing her two sons to illness in less than two years.

"After the death of my brothers, she became very sad and very stressed," Littlejohn said. "She stopped paying attention to her diet and started getting frail. It took a real toll."

Sean Cold Wrote:"I called everyone and had to tell them my mother was dead, then only to call back and say she's alive

Sloatsburgh Wrote:If they can't tell if you are alive or dead, should you really be allowed to continue and consume resources? :disappointed:

Sloatsburgh Wrote:If they can't tell if you are alive or dead, should you really be allowed to continue and consume resources? :disappointed:

Quote:If you can't do whats required, then look for a new job.

Shit, I guess that is like Crybaby Afrika as well

Sluggo Wrote:Just in case you all wanted to know...
The old bitch died today.