MS Coast police officer delayed man from medical care for stroke, lawsuit says
A new lawsuit accuses a Gulfport police officer of negligence for failing to get a Mississippi man prompt medical care.
Lawyers for Ariel Ernesto Rodriguez Santana, of Hillsborough County, say he suffered a stroke while lawfully driving his Dodge Ram in June 2022. As a result, he lost control of his vehicle and crashed it in front of the Residence Inn on Airport Road.
The Gulfport police officer who responded minutes later immediately accused Santana of driving under the influence, the lawsuit says, even though he was showing signs of paralysis, including being unable to speak or retrieve his driver’s license.
The officer accused Santana of “playing games,” the suit said, and “dragged” him out of his car, where Santana fell face first.
The officer then allegedly enlisted the help of an American Medical Response ambulance employee to get a portable breath test before Santana was taken to Singing River Hospital in Gulfport. At the hospital, the suit claims the officer would not let medical personnel take Santana into the hospital for an hour, until such time a blood draw was completed by a lab tech.
Once inside the hospital after about two hours in the officer’s custody, medical personnel diagnosed the stroke and determined there was no alcohol or drugs in Santana’s system, the suit said.
The officer acted “in reckless disregard of the safety and well-being of the plaintiff,” the suit said, “by assuming only that the defendant was engaged in criminal activity, rather than recognizing the plaintiff was suffering from a medical emergency.”
The suit claims Santana has suffered permanent neurological damage as a result of the stroke and lack of prompt care.
Santana is suing the officer, the Gulfport Police Department and American Medical Response for negligence, malice and reckless disregard for his safety, among other counts. He also is asking for punitive damages against the officer.
A lawsuit represents only one side of a legal argument.
No one involved in the case has yet to file a response to Santana’s suit.
This story was originally published December 21, 2023 at 10:31 AM.