The city of Phoenix will pay $2 million to the family of a little boy in Arizona who died after first responders refused to take him to the hospital after he had a seizure, telling the child’s mother that she was “overreacting”.
City officials voted Wednesday to approve the settlement with the family of Abraham Clugston, who died in April 2022 following an early-morning 911 call from his mother after the boy had a seizure.
Although a fire crew arrived at the house within 10 minutes, according to a wrongful-death lawsuit, crew members told the mother that transporting him to the hospital was unnecessary, despite her pleas.
“They called out, relying on Phoenix EMS for consultation and advice, stating that he did not need to be taken to the hospital. “He’s fine,” said attorney Breann Slack to local NBC affiliate KPNX.
According to the lawsuit, those first responders told the mother she was “overreacting,” that seizures were normal, and that Abraham should be given over-the-counter medication like Tylenol and ibuprofen.
They reportedly left after ten minutes.
Abraham was discovered unresponsive five hours later, according to the lawsuit, reports KPNX. A second 911 call was placed, and Abraham was transported to the hospital, but he did not survive.
According to the lawsuit, the first responders to the 911 call failed to properly assess Abraham because they did not take his vital signs or temperature.
“[Firefighters] make mistakes, but as the parent, as in this case, my client, knows their child better than the city of Phoenix and it was, unfortunately, proven that day,” Slack told reporters.
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“The City of Phoenix extends its deepest condolences,” a spokesperson said in a statement, according to KPNX. “Following this incident, as with all incidents, an internal review was conducted, and steps were taken to improve training and procedures.
The City remains committed to ensuring the health and safety of all members of our community.
Lawyers for Abraham’s family admitted that the settlement “will not bring Abraham back, but the family has been very vocal about wanting to pursue some kind of reform.”
“From the very beginning, Abraham’s parents knew that the city of Phoenix did wrong by their son Abraham, whether it was poor decision making that day or it was a flaw in the procedure that needed to be exposed and addressed,” Slack, whom the family’s attorney represents, said. “Abraham’s death could have been prevented, and while there’s nothing that can be undone, their hopes are that Abraham’s Legacy will be to SAVE more lives, moving forward so that any child who has a seizure for the first time in their life won’t be at the mercy of a 911 operator or the general consensus of the first responder team, but rather will be immediately transferred.”
