Paramedic Sues Trooper

[rockin'robin]

A paramedic has sued an Oklahoma highway police officer over a scuffle that occurred while a patient waited inside the paramedic's ambulance, FOX News has learned.

Paramedic Maurice White is seeking punitive and compensatory damages against Trooper Daniel Martin in a case that rose to national prominence this summer after a cell phone video of the conflict appeared on YouTube — showing Martin at one point grabbing White by the neck.

Click here for the YouTube video.

The suit claims that Martin used unreasonable force while seizing White and criticizes the Oklahoma Highway Patrol for failing to take action on the matter over the course of the past two months.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol is preparing this week to announce how it will deal with Trooper Martin, who has been on administrative leave since June 1, FOX News has learned.

Click here for a squad video excerpt.

Martin stopped the ambulance May 24 for failing to yield to his squad car.

White says he got out of the ambulance to tell the trooper they were taking a patient to the hospital. The argument quickly escalated into a scuffle and Martin put White in an apparent choke hold.

Martin's attorney says the trooper either didn't hear that there was a patient in the ambulance or it didn't register. He says White failed to comply with the trooper's orders.

Oklahoma Paramedic Sues Trooper Over Scuffle Caught on Video - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com

 

[yizuman]

I remember this video and I think the cop was in the wrong. What I really hate is some power tripping egomaniac cop that thinks everything has to be his way.

There's too many stupid cops that does not belong out in the street, much less wear a badge and a gun.

I got a real good reason why cops are idiots.....

DOJ forces Police, Firefighters and Municipal Agencies to dumb down employment tests, practice reverse discrimination.

It effects not just cops, stupid EMTs and Judges and many others.

Yiz

 

[VamPyroX]

Aww... come on!

A cop getting upset just because the ambulance didn't yield to his police car? :roll:

 

[Jiro]

eh - there are over 600,000 LEOs in USA... of course we're bound to have a very tiny percentage of egomaniac power-tripping cops and we all know media loves to overblown the small situation.

which one do you hear more in news these days? "heroic" cops (and EMT/Firefighters) or bad cops?

I bet you guys never heard of this recent news - Father of Family Rescued From Burning SUV Says Trapped Son, 4, Saved by Angels

MILWAUKEE — The off-duty firefighters and neighbors who helped pull a 4-year-old boy from a burning SUV deserve more gratitude than words can express, the boy's father said Tuesday.

Firefighters Joel and John Rechlitz, who suffered burns to their hands and forearms, are among the brave Milwaukee citizens who have the family's deepest gratitude, James Harper said.

"I just want to thank everybody, the citizens of Milwaukee, for helping us," Harper said during brief remarks at a news conference. "There are angels all around us."

The Rechlitz brothers, along with neighbors and off-duty police Lt. Mark Wroblewski, sprang into action Sunday after the SUV slammed into a tree in a Milwaukee neighborhood and burst into flames.

In a scene caught on amateur video, about a dozen people converged to help save the driver and her 2-year-old daughter. But 4-year-old David Harper remained trapped in his car seat behind a wall of flames.

The firefighters, who had been directed to the scene by phone calls from their wives, used a knife to cut the car seat's restraints and pull the boy to safety.

David, whose family calls him D.J., was upgraded to serious condition but stable Tuesday morning at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, in the Milwaukee suburb of Wauwatosa.

D.J. had burns — many deep enough to be considered third-degree — over 20 percent of his body, pediatric surgeon David Gourlay said. The burns covered most of his scalp, his upper back and upper extremities, with less severe burns on his face.

"I believe D.J. will make a full recovery," Gourlay said. "What's challenging with burns, especially deep burns that are extensive like D.J.'s, is the functional, the cosmetic and the psychological recovery from that."

The boy was sedated and would need months of skin grafts and physical therapy, Gourlay said.

Police continued to investigate the crash.

The SUV was driven by Harper's wife, Angela Baldessari, 32, of Kingsport, Tenn. Witnesses said the vehicle swerved, struck a tree and immediately caught fire.

Jason Lepkowski told Fox News that he was driving behind Baldessari when he saw her crash.

"I looked up and she was already flipped over and blown up," he said. "The car was on fire before I could even get out of my car."

Amid plumes of thick black smoke, Baldessari handed her 2-year-old daughter, Beverly Harper, to bystanders through the top of the SUV. Baldessari then escaped through the windshield after others smashed it open.

D.J. Harper was still trapped.

The Rechlitz brothers took turns reaching for him through the windshield, but were repelled by heat and flames.

Wroblewski, the police lieutenant, arrived with two fire extinguishers, and he and Joel Rechlitz tried to hold back the flames. The extinguishers bought valuable time, Joel Rechlitz said.

"Five, 10 seconds made the difference between this boy living and this boy dying," he said.

video link - viewer discretion is advised

 

[yizuman]

I'm not saying all cops are like that. Just that we need more & better evaluation programs before we let the cop have a badge and a gun.

Lately, it just SEEMS (keyword there) like more and more idiots are being hired to patrol our streets. Have you seen the link I provided regarding the DOJ changing the ways of how they are supposed to test and hire new officers?

DOJ forces Police, Firefighters and Municipal Agencies to dumb down employment tests, practice reverse discrimination.

The changes was made when Clinton was in office back in the 90s. Ya know, the former hippie that never inhaled. :P

In fact some cops have tried to sue for discrimination because their test scored showed to be much higher than average, so they weren't hired because they were too smart. If your IQ was say 140, the likelihood of being hired is very, very slim. They want someone roughly around the base area of 80 to 100.

Their explanation of not wanting to hire smart people is because, they say, smart people get bored with the job and therefore they quit. :roll:

Yiz