First responders under investigation after mistakenly declaring a woman dead

SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WTVG/Gray News) - An investigation is underway after first responders declared a woman dead when she was not.

Two paramedics, the fire chief assistant and the fire chief of the Springfield Township Fire Department have been placed on paid administrative leave following the alleged misconduct.

Emergency crews for both the Toledo Fire Department and the Springfield Township Fire Department responded to a reported overdose inside a home in Toledo, Ohio on Jan. 2 at about 7:30 a.m., according to officials.

Police-worn body camera footage shows crews first dealing with a dog found inside before shifting their focus to the subject of the call, a woman found lying in the bed. As they attend to the woman, the crews come to a decision and call a doctor over the radio to get an official death declaration.

However, when the coroner’s office was called in to take over, the office’s chief investigator Barry Porter discovered the woman was still alive. Porter reported that he noticed the woman let out a breath. He then noted several other signs that she was living, such as her abdomen was warm and her legs and feet were flexible.

Porter said once he placed a face mask on the woman and administered Narcan, she perked up.

EMS crews were called back to the scene and the woman was taken to the hospital for “further observation and follow-up,” according to the police report.

According to Springfield Township Administrator Michael Hampton, an internal investigation has been launched to determine how crews mistakenly pronounced the woman dead.

“The situation is tragic. It shouldn’t have happened and we’re very sorry that it did,” Hampton said. “Our internal investigation will certainly get to the bottom of what happened and we’ll provide the public with as much transparency as we legally can.”

Springfield Township said in a statement Tuesday that they believe the patient remains in intensive care. A ProMedica representative told WTVG did not have any information on a patient with the name provided.

Several attempts to contact that patient have been unsuccessful.

A Toledo Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said the incident is still under investigation and would not provide records surrounding it until the case is closed.

Copyright 2024 WTVG via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.