San Francisco Attorney Discusses Ways Negligence can Result in a Wrongful Death Case
Family Claims Police Were “Grossly Negligent”
The family of a woman who died from a gunshot wound sued the City of San Jose and the San Jose Police Department this month, contending that the police’s decision to prevent paramedics from attending to the victim was “grossly negligent” and in “bad faith,” the San Jose Mercury News reported.
On July 14, 2010, Robert Turner allegedly shot Verna Lisa Hollins in the upstairs hallway of her family’s apartment. Hollins’ husband and sister noted that, in the moments after the shooting and subsequent 911 call, a police dispatcher assured them that medical attention would arrive soon. Police and paramedics did arrive on the scene three minutes after the 911 call, but gathered across the street from the apartment, apparently to assess the risk of the situation.
Family Begged For Medical Help
Reports state that Hollins’ family shouted to the police and paramedics that the apartment was safe and that the shooter was no longer inside. According to the family’s civil complaint, filed on July 2 in Santa Clara Superior Court, Hollins’ husband approached police to beg them to attend to his dying wife, but police ordered him back inside the building. The family also contended that police refused to allow them to take the woman to the hospital on their own. A nearby hospital, Valley Medical Center, was only a few blocks away from the Hollins’ apartment. According to police, 22 minutes elapsed from the time police and paramedics arrived until they began treating Hollins’ wounds. The family contends the police waited in excess of a half-hour to begin attending to the dying woman.
Police Contend “Immediate Threat”
A San Jose police sergeant argued that the situation was one “where we had to address the immediate threat before we could render first aid or medical attention. We don’t want anyone else to get hurt.” The police contended that, when they arrived, they encountered a situation with a stabbing victim on the lawn, a shooting victim inside the building and an assailant still at large.
Unknown to the police at the time, however, the alleged shooter, Robert Turner, had returned to his apartment, placed the gun in a bag, placed the bloody knife he had used to stab the other victim in a towel, changed clothes, and calmly sat in his home, presumably waiting for police to come arrest him.
Wrongful Death Cases in the San Francisco Bay Area
In major injury cases, minutes matter and the more time that elapses before a victim receives treatment, more likely the victim will incur permanent harm, or even death. Our San Francisco wrongful death attorneys will work with your family in this most stressful time to help you analyze your legal options. When you or a loved are harmed by the negligent action, or inaction, of others, the law gives you certain rights and remedies, and our attorneys are here to help you determine what is the best approach for your family.
Click now to request a free no-obligation consultation or call 415-541-0300 to speak with an attorney at the law offices of Callaway & Wolf.
Boone Callaway is a personal injury & medical malpractice lawyer in San Francisco who has been working with clients in the Bay Area for over 25 years. Mr. Callaway is one of only a few personal injury litigators in San Francisco who is a Super Lawyer, AV Rated and is also a member of ABOTA – American Board of Trial Advocates.
