Red Hook resident dies after delayed ambulance response, by George Fiala

Wednesday evening, May 21, Danny Cruz Jr. was busy making dinner for his three girls, Tea, 14; Savanna 12 and the youngest, Angel. Dinner was  hamburgers and potato puffs.

Daniel Cruz Jr and his girls in a recent photo.
Daniel Cruz Jr and his girls in a recent photo.

He loved making dinner, helping his wife Tynisha, who works during the day. He was getting ready for the job he held since last November. He worked the 11 pm – 7 am shift as a night watchman at the Prospect Park Rink.

He never made it to work that night.

Danny was 40 years old and suffered from asthma. He hadn’t been feeling that well but didn’t tell anyone. All of a sudden, he had trouble breathing and told his wife to call 911. Tanisha saw his distress and frantically made the 911 call. She then started giving him resuscitation. The minutes passed by with no ambulance. She told her twin sister, Latisha, to keep him breathing and ran downstairs from their 16 Mill Street apartment, in the Red Hook Houses.

She ran up and down the street, looking for any emergency vehicle. She saw nothing, went back up, and then down again. By this time more than twenty minutes had gone by. She finally saw a policeman on the street and grabbed him. He ran up, assessed the situation, and made a phone call. Within three minutes the fire department and three ambulances arrived.

Danny Cruz lying in a coma at Methodist Hospital with his mother Mercedes.
Danny Cruz lying in a coma at Methodist Hospital with his mother Mercedes.

Tynisha’s aunt, Khadijah James arrived in time to see Danny intubated and being taken down to an ambulances. “The three drivers were arguing about who would take him,” James said. Cruz finally arrived at Methodist Hospital, but it was too late. A doctor told James that he had been without proper oxygen to his brain for almost 45 minutes, and was probably brain dead. They did manage to get his heart beating again, and he was kept alive by machines. Today, at 5:00, with his family around him, the machines were turned off. Danny was a registered organ donor, and parts of him will go to save others.

But this is small consolation to his family. Khadijah recalled that two years ago Cruz’s eldest daughter Tea had a critical asthma attack, and a LICH ambulance was on the scene within two minutes and she was properly taken care of. LICH used to keep an ambulance at Richards Street, by Coffey Park, covering Red Hook emergencies. The drivers knew their way around the Houses. For someone unfamiliar with the streets and buildings of the Red Hook Houses, it could take a while to find an address like 16 Mill.

Tea gives her father a last kiss.
Tea gives her father a last kiss.

It will take further investigation to find out exactly why this happened. Was it because of problems at 911, which have been well documented? Was it because of the closing of LICH, which was just taking place on the 21st of May? All this remains to be seen. What the facts indicate is that a young father of three is gone because he didn’t get to the hospital in time.

Our hearts go out to the Cruz family.

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45 Comments

  1. This was before LICH stopped running their EMS units so don’t make up nonsense about FDNY. All the LICH ambulances were running as usual at that time on May 21st. Sorry for this guy but don’t blame EMS. More likely a dispatch error like usual.

    • Ambulances were already on diversion……only walk ins were treated.

      • That isn’t what the person said. LICH was running ambulances and there was no lapse in any EMS service. There weren’t fewer EMS units running. This man, tragic as it is, having a severe asthma attack, could have been saved by the properly responding paramedic or EMT ambulance. Find out what happened after you called 911. This has nothing to do with LICH closing or it being on diversion or whatever.

    • I’m a LICH employee. Ambulances were on diversion from May 6th. LICH ambulances are more familiar with the Red Hook area and would’ve been able to take him to LICH sooner which probably might have made his case less critical. However, according to the article too much time passed after the 911 call was made. I feel the real problem was the decision as to which EMS would respond and which hospital they would take him too. This is a serious situation that will continue to get worse. Sorry to say, Danny is one out of some who will experience a delay in an emergency situation. I’ve seen firsthand that every second counts. That 10-15 minute ride to Methodist is crucial in an extreme emergency. My heart goes out to the family.

    • Excuse me youre wrong. Ambulances at LICH had already been stopped by May 15th. The few remaining patients were transferrd out & the whole hospital shut down on May 22nd. This is tragic. Blood on Governor Cuomo’s & SUNY’s hands

  2. Concerned for Brooklyn

    So then FDNY EMS dispatch messed up?

  3. Once again the “press” makes up crap against its favorite whipping boy FDNY EMS. The previous poster was correct in that LICH ambulances were still in service at this time. They were all busy. Perhaps George Fiala should do some research and perhaps ride along one night so he can have some facts instead of pontificating about that which he knows nothing.
    God rest this man’s soul; but people if you are having difficulty breathing or chest pain don’t deny it. Get to an ER. Don’t wait.

    • Have you guys read this article? It makes no judgments at all.

      • Number one, you take her at her word that it was 20 minutes. When people are under stress, they lose all concept of time. A simple FOIL request would enable you to find out what the response time truly was.

        Second, it was in fact LICH EMS that responded. So your hypothesis in that regard goes out the window. Again a lack of research is evident.

        Third, we answer 3500-4000 calls on an average day. When it gets hot like it will in the next couple of days, that will increase to near 5000. We do the best we can, but we are not sitting on our asses doing nothing. Just because an ambulance is deployed near any given location does not mean that it will be available when you call. Which you would have know had you done your research.

      • George Mercilliott

        A typical Red Hook story short on facts long on fiction.

    • fdnyemt: I’m Daniel Cruz’s sister and I have to say, your last sentence is very cruel and insensitive. You have no idea why he didn’t say anything. So you talk about judgments, yet make your own. This is a hard time for the family and the truth is the ambulance never showed up. Period. I understand you feel you must defend FDNY EMS but please do not do that at the expense of my brother. Thank you and #beblessed.

      • Nothing will bring back your dear brother – even the Mayor warned last summer that in Red Hook it’s a matter of life & death without LICH open & able to receive & care for life-threatening emergencies. Call the NYTimes & every other “real” news organization & make them see what has been done here. How will we ever know that if LICH was not in shut-down mode at the time & ambulances hadn’t already been told not to bring patients to LICH, there would not have been confusion & disagreement about who was to respond or where to take him & there wouldn’t have been such a delay in his care? We will never know if things might have been different if he could have been brought to LICH immediately had LICH been allowed to function as more than a walk-in clinic that day. I hope your family sues NY state & Governor Cuomo & SUNY for this tragedy. May God be with you all. Rest in Peace Mr Cruz.

    • Latisha rogers

      One I was there, for a emt like myself I am this mans sister in law and I was there to give him CPR, and it took EMS longer then 20 to get him to the hospital. This was a load and go call! That’s it! They should have got him to the hospital in minutes from the first call! Not until the EMT’s, paramedics and the fire department show up! the fire department is 2 blocks away and they should have gotten there first if anything! They know the area! Either get new dispatchers or retrain the olds ones! And train the drivers also! Cause he shouldn’t have died if people was well trained and got there in a timely manner!

      • Annoyed Dispatcher

        I am tired of all the finger pointing. Sad, but EMS, FDNY, 911 Receiving Operators/Dispatchers or family killed him. The Asthma did, everyone quick to point fingers. You have to know all that transpired, from the first call, to how it was handled and classified, to what treatment was done and how long it was taking to do when EMS did arrive there. And not to blame the family, or patient, but you also don’t know what was said to 911. I am a Call Receiving Operator and Dispatcher, and have heard callers who have no idea where they are but will swear to the 911 Operator that the Operator is the idiot. Personally, I’ve taken calls and done call backs to that area and callers was completely wrong on where they were. We had one today. Not to violate patient confidentiality but the caller gave one too many digits, and wrong street name, and wasn’t sure if he was in Brooklyn or Queens, But he kept insisting he was at the address he mentioned. EMS checked the given address 3 time. Took 2 dispatchers and 2 supervisors to figure out where he was and basically sent units to 3 possible locations which 2 were in Brooklyn,which was right the borough he was in. This happens all the time. The new enhance 911 GPS system only works for cell phones at this time, so home phone and all Land Line phones don’t register location. N one wants to hear this info. The public assumes we have special powers and equipment. We can detect where everyone is in the city, we do car, truck, bus, plane and and train stops. I am pretty sure there will plenty of blame to pass around when all the info comes out.

      • Downwiththepress

        Cardiac Arrest is NOT a load and go call. Maybe do some research like others have said before you go running your mouth about the dedicated professionals who put their lives aside to save yours.

    • They didn’t get there in time because they were all at Brooklyn, Methodist, and Lutheran dropping off patients there … which is way out of their district. And they stopped accepting ambulances before the 21st … which is why they were all at the other hospitals with patients .

      • amethyst@aol.com

        Right on, LICH Lover. Plain & simple. How long was the line of ambulances outside Methodist & Bklyn Hosp waiting to drop off other patients because the place was too crowded & they had to wait their turn to get in? The family should demand to see the security tapes of the street at the ambulance entrances of those other hospitals. How many LICH ambulances were parked on the side walk outside of LICH & out of service? Last summer Christine Quinn complained that she had to wait 30 minutes for an ambulance in Williamsburg when her aide fainted in the heat wave. At that time there were a dozen ambulances out of service waiting at Methodist to drop off patients & more than a half dozen others waiting at Brooklyn Hospital. All because SUNY wouldn’t allow them to bring patients to LICH. The back-up at other ERs is keeping some ambulances out of service as they wait to bring their patients into the over-crowded ERs elsewhere. People need to realize the ripple effect that this closure of LICH is having in the area. Annoyed Dispatcher, I feel for you but we all will soon know exactly what was said on the 911 calls – when the family’s lawyer gets those tape recordings.

    • Katie (a DEAR friend of Marcy Cruz's)

      HOW DARE YOU WRITE SUCH A DISRESPECTFUL POST TO A GRIEVING FAMILY WHO IS SUFFERING A HUGE TRAGIC LOSS. THIS MAN DIED AT THE YOUNG AGE OF 40 LEAVING BEHIND A WIFE AND 3 CHILDREN. THERE IS NOTHING WORSE IN THIS WORLD THAN AN FOOL WHO LACKS EMPATHY AND HAS A DISGUSTING NEED TO FEED HIS/HER PERSONAL NARCISSISTIC INNER DEMON IN THE MOST INAPPROPRIATE TIME AND PLACE. TAKE YOUR BATTLE BETWEEN THE PUBLIC & MEDIA vs.. THE FDNY TO YOUR LOCAL POLITICAL CONTACTS AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. THIS FAMILY IS SUFFERING A TRAGIC LOSS OF A LOVED ONE. IT IS REPREHENSIBLE THAT YOU HAVE NO REGARD HOW IMMORAL IT IS TO FORCE THIS LOVELY FAMILY TO DEFEND THEMSELVES. I CAN HONESTLY SAY THAT IF YOU WERE IN FRONT OF ME, I WOULD SLAP YOU IN THE FACE….TWICE !!!

      • Annoyed Dispatcher

        First, I am sorry for the family’s lost. But do you think you post is respectful..? You doing a lot of figure pointing and name calling yourself. The family and friends were wrong, so they are going to blame everyone they can, and the Blood Sucking Lawyers going to feed that. Sorry to say ,but was the Asthma that killed him no one individual or event. The family and friends are about to accuse everyone involved in the job, of doing everything wrong. So they better be ready to defend their own actions, I bet you they are not so innocent. Before you start yelling and name calling, be sure you are doing it for the right reasons, and you have all the right facts. By the way, having all the letters capitol, just makes you look like a raving lunatic.

        • Katie (a DEAR friend of Marcy Cruz's)

          TO ANNOYED DISPATCHER,
          DEAR SIR OR MADAM,

          YOU……..JUST……DON’T…..GET……IT !!!

          1 – IT IS CATASTROPHIC THAT YOU AND SOME OF YOUR COWORKERS ARE AGGRESSIVELY ATTACKING THE CRUZ FAMILY WHILE THEY ARE GRIEVING THE LOSS OF A LOVED ONE.

          2 – IN SIMPLE FIFTH GRADE WORDS…….TAKE YOUR POLITICAL JOB RELATED CORRUPTION COMPLAINTS AND GO TALK TO YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS. THIS IS NOT THE PLACE TO FIGHT ” YOUR JOB RELATED BATTLES “. THE ONLY THING YOU ARE ACCOMPLISHING…….YOU’RE MAKING YOURSELVES LOOK LIKE A BUNCH OF ASSES !!!

          3 – YOU, ANNOYED DISPATCHER, (DIRECTED PERSONALLY) SHOULD NOT BE WORKING FOR THE NYC EMERGENCY SERVICE DEPARTMENT, YOU SHOULD BE WORKING FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF SANITATION. YOU HAVE A BAD ATTITUDE, A MEAN DISPOSITION AND NO COMPASSION. YOU SHOULD BE HANDLING TRASH…..NOT LIFE THREATENING PHONE CALLS FROM HUMANS IN DISTRESS WHO NEED HELP.

          ARE YOU ALSO THIS ARROGANT TOWARDS THE DISTRESSED PEOPLE WHO CALL YOU AT THE EMERGENCY SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF NYC ???

          SLEEP WELL & WARMEST REGARDS.

          AND YES, I KEPT THE CAPS ON JUST TO ANNOY YOU !!!!

  4. Downwiththepress

    It makes no judgment? Could a fooled me. Just another crap article by a headline seeking nobody that has no idea what they’re talking about. May this man rest in peace. It’s sad that he lost his life. It’s also sad that the author is attempting to make a name for himself off this mans death. The LICH ambulances were still running that night. Even if they weren’t, they were replaced by FDNY units the second LICH stopped running them.

  5. Of course it makes judgments! Implying that crews not from the area would take 20minutes to get there? Saying that a LICH ambulance had previously gotten there in two minutes? How about that when a proper distress call was put out the ambulances arrived expeditiously, wouldn’t that imply that they were either never called properly to begin with? Oh and ‘ambulance drivers’? Do your research.

  6. This is in reply to fdnyemt. Daniel Cruz was cousin. To say that that he was denying that he had chest pain is going a little too far for my taste. Danny would have went to the ER if he thought it was that serious at the time he was not feeling good. He was without work for a while before getting the job he currently had and probably thought he was fatiguing from work. He gave his all in everything he did and would never jeopardize himself on account of his wife and daughters. For you to say your comment the way you said it sounds very offensive, disrespectful and unprofessional to me. Sounds like you’re being more defensive and covering your comrads than you are saying your sorry he passed away. Like it or not whether your an emt or dispatch you all fall under the same umbrella. Have a little more sensitivity before you go making judgemental comments. Thank you for furthering ruining my night.

    • Annoyed Dispatcher

      Sorry for your lost, but your family is about to unleash a storm of blame on everyone involved without releasing or knowing all the facts. A lot of people are going to be restricted, or terminated forever affecting their lives and family. All of them been on the job for years and choose a career helping people, but I doubt very much you have any sympathy for them. So of course we, who work with them, will defend them. The public only cares about themselves and what they can get out of it. All you see is your family was wronged, and that is what your Blood Sucking Lawyers will concentrate on, they won’t care about who is really guilty or negligent. Again, I am sorry for your lost, no child should have to face a life without mom or dad. But, why don’t you go yell at the idiots who call 911 for total “bull Shit”, and you know exactly what I mean. The ones who call because they are lonely, the ones who just wants the drunk out of their house, the ones sick for 3 weeks and suddenly have to go to hospital instead of their own doctor, and so on. there is plenty of blame and finger pointing to go around. I don’t know about everyone, but my friends (in 911) and I take it personally when we loose a patient. We may deny it, and even joke about it, but it forever becomes part of us. I have done EMS for 20+ years, I remember every single one I lost, and at one time or another, they have crept into my mind and dreams. I always think if there was something more I could have done.

      • Annoyed Dispatcher I find you to greatly lack a thing call emotional intelligence. If you don’t know what that is it means is being aware of your own feelings as well as recognizing other’s feelings around you and showing an empathetic attitude. Of all the occupations in the world yours should be the number one occupation to utilize this. Emotional intelligence is what’s being taught in higher education and will be the future in how anyone deals with any situation in both a career and in life. Your response shows you have no emotional intelligence especially someone claiming that they have been in the medical field for 20+ years. I find it appalling that you take the ones who abuse the system and clump them up as a whole saying it represents the entire public population. This is not only showing a lack of emotional intelligence, but now you’re showing you have a lack of professionalism in that you prejudge that everyone is the same. I can see where you were going with that as I have been in the retail/customer service field for 15+ years. I, however, take every situation case by case not using previous experiences to determine if a customer is pulling my leg or has a legitimate problem I need to solve. You also state that you defend your fellow workers which indicates to me that you will defend them even if you don’t know them personally. That to me is foolish in itself in that you don’t know what training and experience that co-worker may or may not have. How can you defend someone you don’t know personally or professionally? I would never defend anyone in my industry in any situation that I was not personally involved in. You too do not know all the facts. Were you there for the call? Were you there at the hospital during his time there? It amazes me how people are so quick to be defensive because they feel they have to defend their fellow co-workers thinking they know all the facts when in fact they don’t. If you were not personally there in the situation quit acting like you were and spitting out derogatory, slanderous comments. Keep them to yourself. One last thing to state here is that not everyone is out to get a quick money scheme going. To say we are going to have blood sucking lawyers was way out of line as the family is not thinking of that. Your whole disposition showed lack of empathy and professional and using cursing to make your point shows me your argument has no merit. Like everyone in your field is saying before you flap words out of your mouths know the facts first, so I think all of you should just shut your mouths and leave us alone to grieve. This is America and you have your right to your opinion, but there is a time and a system in this country to place it at and the place is not here.

  7. Whatever the reason this man died because response time was not quick enough, need to find out why, this family has had a devasting loss….

  8. To this person fdnyemt says: June 1, 2014 at 1:04 am
    I feel what these people say Marcy Cruz, Katie (a DEAR friend of Marcy Cruz’s), Latisha rogers.
    I would believe what they said cause about three years ago, the since thing happen to my aunt and she lived in 108 mills street, she also past away do to that she waited 30 mins for ems to come over and she also was brain die, and that was just building away from this family

  9. What a tragedy!!! I’m so sorry for your loss!! Unfortunate things happen sometimes and it’s easy to say what if but the reality is that Mr. Cruz died!! Sending my condolences to the Cruz family in this time of grief!! God bless!!

    • It doesn't matter

      This is a tragedy but lets not blame the responding EMS units whether it be LICH or FDNY. They probably did the best they could. The public doesn’t understand what EMS does. They think we’re just drivers. I see some wrote “this is a load and go” but that’s not accurate at all. As medically trained personal (Advanced Life Support and Basic Life Support) we preform all the nessacary functions that an ER will do right there in the house. By just “loading and going” delays the chance of survival. Also I saw someone post about waiting “30 mins for an ambulance” that may only happen in horrendous weather condition I.e. Hurricane Sandy, blizzard, etc. The NYC 911 system is a busy system. 8 million+ residents and only 100+(?) ambulances. My condolences to the family but please remember we’re out there for the public to help save lives.

      • To It doesn’t matter. I appreciate your honest and professional way of making your opinion. You sound like an intelligent, hard working individual. From me personally, I can see your point of view especially with the coverage you have to deal with and with the very little resources you have at your disposal. Again personally, this discussion of fault finding started with the people in your field who felt that my family has already filed a claim, have a set court date and needed to defend something that has never occurred along with lack of empathy and professionalism. We are far away from thinking anything of the sort. All we are doing is trying to grieve about my cousin Danny not being with us anymore. Nobody our family was trying to start anything. It was your fellow co-workers who initiated the flare up of emotion. They honestly should have kept their thoughts to themselves. It is not proper or right to bring up an issue like what they were saying at this time. Again, I appreciate your response and how you presented it. I understand what it is to be in a job like yours. However, it is foolish people like the ones who started this debate which makes hard not to get flared up, upset and not stay quiet about it. I thank God everyday for people like you “It doesn’t matter” and please stay safe out there.

  10. MY CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY AND HIS LOVED ONES–RIP SIR.

  11. It’s truly disgusts me when people who weren’t even there were making assumptions. It was witness by many people that the EMS arrived way too long after 911 was called. MANY PEOPLE! And even the doctors said MY COUSIN was without assistance for so long that he had brain damage. This ain’t the first time there has been problems with the EMS workers. The facts and evidence was there to prove that some EMS workers DO NOT know how to do their job and lives were at fault because of that. Before you make comment check the evidence! If you don’t know sh*t don’t say sh*t!

  12. Annoyed Dispatcher: I get that you’re “annoyed” and you do have a right to your opinion but why would you make assumptions regarding the victim in this case, who is my brother? Yes, I am a family member but I won’t sit here and discuss lawyers and such. What I will say is that it is extremely heartless and disrespectful to kick a person or people while they are down and that is what you are doing, It is so easy to hide behind a computer. We don’t even know your name. But see, I am not afraid to show you mine because I don’t hide behind Anonymous titles. Bottom line, the ambulance that was called never showed up. My sister-in-law had to run into the streets to flag down a cop in order for help to arrive. By then it was too late. I don’t know whose fault it is but you best believe, my family and I will find out. It’s not about pointing fingers. It’s about making those accountable for their actions, those who let the ball drop, which resulted in my brother’s death. The asthma didn’t kill him. Lack of oxygen and being down for 40 minutes did, And the reason he was down for so long is because after the 911 call was made, the ambulance never showed up. Those are not assumptions, false blames or finger pointing at anyone. Those are the facts. Now who is exactly to blame is something that is yet to be found out. All I know is, while we are grieving, that grief is not fueling our determination in investigating this. We want to make sure this does not happen again. It could be your child, your husband/wife, your mother, etc. Something has to be done to save lives and not throw them away because help does not arrive in time. And this has left my sister-in-law a widow at the age of 39 and three young children to grow up without a father. So please be considerate when defending yourself and dispatchers in general. Why can’t we debate this in a articulate manner without hitting below the belt and disrespecting a great man’s memory?

    • Katie (a DEAR friend of Marcy Cruz's)

      Marcy, I could not have posted a response better than yours. Amen !!!! Love you girl, Katie Terino…xoxo

  13. Don’t you dare disrespect my deceased uncle like that while i watched my aunt flag down a cop in order for an ambulance to arrive at a reasonable time. So until you know the True facts don’t you dare say that this article is bull crap. And for all you anonymous comments talking bad about this man I hope you all rot. How dare you disrespect him. His wife now has to raise three fatherless daughters you disgrace to human nature.

  14. I’m truly sory for your loss, I have to add that the majority of EMTs, Fire and Police officers are pro’s in their own right. But shit like this does happen, with no disrespect to the majority of good people this is reprehensible. Again sory for your loss.

  15. It’s so sad not only do I believe that there was a delay that help contribute to his death but also L.I.C.H is going thru some changes themselves that it also played a big part because Methodist Hospital is further than L.I.C.H which makes it take longer for them to reach REDHOOk residents it’s so sad and more incidents are going to happen due to the city trying to close down the hospital….RIP to that young man and GOD please wrap your arms around this family and cover them from the blood of JESUS…..GOD bless!!!!!

  16. Pingback: Media Rundown: Brooklyn in the News (06.02.14) : Brooklyn Brief

  17. There is adequate cause reason to be angry at the other side, no matter where your sentiments lie. But let us be truthful about the situation. The truth about the situation is that if LICH were still operating as a full-service hospital, This would not have happened. It should not have happened.

    But without LICH, it will happen, again and again and again.

    While LICH was operating as a full-service hospital, an ambulance sat near Coffey Park nearly 24/7. This was not a job of idleness. The EMT was on constant standby. In the event an emergency occurred in Red Hook, someone was there, very near and ready to respond.

    EMTs of LICH knew their way around Red Hook very well, specifically around the houses. And LICH ambulances are still running. But they don’t travel to LICH anymore, and will not for the foreseeable future.

    If an experienced EMT had been waiting at Coffey Park, many fewer minutes would have passed before the arrival. SUNY downstate put LICH ambulances on diversion on May 12. While they were still responding to emergencies, The patients had to be taken to farther away hospitals. Most likely, the time gap amounted to that travel time, which is unbearably longer than it should be.

    There is no longer someone on standby in the neighborhood. The lights of LICH that once flooded Atlantic and Hicks have been extinguished.

    EMTs do not choose their profession for the money. They choose their career because they want to help. They want to be a part of saving lives.

    The true finger pointing here should be put on state government, specifically Andrew Cuomo. From the beginning, Cuomo has been pulling strings, even when the SUNY board of Trustees was up against CRIMINAL charges for contempt.

    Cuomo wants the real estate that LICH was built upon. And he will stop at nothing to get it. He doesn’t care about my loved ones, your loved ones, the Red Hook community, or anyone or anything connected with the demise of LICH.

    Cuomo appointed 9 of the 10 Board of Trustees. The trustees voted unanimously TWICE to close LICH without a community health assessment.

    Cuomo appointed the head of the Department of Health, who approved the closure plan, even after the Kings County Supreme Court ruled it illegal in TWO courts.

    The idea of criminal charges never had any impact on any of these officials. Why? Because it is the governor’s right to pardon anyone in the state. If any of these people would have been charged and convicted, Governor Andy Cuomo would have made sure they were not punished for carrying out his misdeeds.

    Blaming an EMT for inaction when the deck has been purposefully stacked against them is unfair. Being insensitive to the loss of a human life, a loved one, is callous.

    The truth is that there is no need for this loss of life. And those who are truly responsible ahould be held accountable.

    As voters, we are the employers of city, state and federal politicians. If a politician is not representing us, but is instead ruling us, we need to vote them out of office.

    Governor Andrew Cuomo has done a great inservice to the people of Red Hook. A monetary decision by him that truly means the difference between life and death Please remember this when you vote in November.

    Kimberly Gail Price
    Senior Editor
    Red Hook Star-Revue

    • You are inventing things. The ambulances that were run once by LICH have been replaced by other ambulances from the fdny. They sit on the same street corners that the LICH ambulances did. They have the same hours. This is tragic but you are literally inventing news here. Also the patient obviously chose to go to Maimonides. It is faster and closer to go to Methodist, Brooklyn, or Lutheran.

      • There is a precinct meeting tonight and I will ask Captain Lenz directly about whether the family specifically chose to go to Maimonides. Also, I myself used to see that ambulance by Coffey Park all the time – it hasn’t been there for a while. I am inventing nothing by the way, I report on what I see and hear and told. I usually second source the told things, but the person who told me about Maimonides is known to me and reliable. But I will ask the Captain and report back.

  18. The daughter had a asthma attack yesterday and the captain of the 76 pct call on his radio ant the dispatcher told him it was a 9 min wait time. Now dispatchers explain that!

  19. @DOWNWITHTHEPRESS for your information he didnt have a cardiac arrest at the house! And I am a EMT and that was a load and Go since the EMT’s got there first! Unless if your one I advise you to watch your mouth and you do your reaserch! IF YOU WASN’T THERE AND DIDN’T SEE IT FIRST HAND THEN DON’T JUDGE!

  20. @redhookstar: I am telling you for 100% fact that no ambulance would take the patient to Maimonides from Red Hook unless they either asked to go there or it was suggested by EMS (which is really not even allowed; we are technically supposed to take you to the closest appropriate facility unless you request another hospital within 10 minutes away of the closest). It is faster to take 3rd Avenue to Lutheran and it is a five minute ride to Methodist by taking 9th street. While you may be reporting on what you “hear” and “see,” this information is completely subjective and inaccurate. Just because you do not see the ambulance at Coffey Park doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist any longer. Also, the 76th Precinct Captain knows nothing about FDNY EMS operations and isn’t even privy to the details of how ambulances are deployed. That is the FDNY’s job. I have been doing this for many years so I know exactly what I am talking about and how the 911 system works. Additionally, ambulances in the city are assigned to street corners for faster response times. Units are allowed to sit within 3 (or so) blocks from the assigned cross street location. The unit you used to see at Coffey Park was a LICH EMS unit designated “32 X-Ray” that was assigned to the cross street location “Hamilton Avenue and Van Brunt Street.” I also used to work at LICH and I know that the reason the unit used to sit at Coffey Park (on Richards and Verona) was because there were constant complaints about the noise from their diesel engine from the ambulance from the residents of the neighborhood that allegedly wanted them there so badly. They subsequently chose that street corner because it was near a church and a park that was generally pretty quiet and away from most private dwellings. Now that the FDNY has taken over the unit “32 X-Ray,” the crews that work that ambulance may choose to sit somewhere else within that 3 or so block radius. That might end up being “Columbia St and President St” one day or “Imlay St and Commerce St” the next day. While it is admirable you have chosen to take up this family’s story, when you report things you “hear” from unreliable sources and community members that have no knowledge of EMS operations, you ARE simply inventing facts and creating articles that will only serve to unjustly anger more people. I am happy to try to answer any questions you have about how EMS works.

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