Ambulance Stalls, Colorado Man Dies, Lawsuit Follows

An unfortunate set of circumstances has led to a lawsuit against a Colorado city.

According to KDVR, the incident happened in September of 2019 when Lonnie Hendrickson, of Limon, was being transported by ambulance to Swedish Hospital in Denver. The ambulance broke down in Strasburg,  about 35 miles from Denver. A second ambulance was dispatched from Limon, and reportedly arrived 30 minutes after the first ambulance went down.

Hendrickson died before medical crews were able to get him to the hospital. The autopsy report indicated he died of “acute cardiac arrest associated with three days of intractable nausea and vomiting from an apparent upper gastrointestinal illness." According to KDVR, the director of the ambulance said he didn't think it would have made any difference had they gotten to the hospital 30 minutes faster.

The family has now filed a lawsuit against the city of Limon, which runs the ambulance service. In addition to the loss of a loved one, the family received even more grief when they received a $3000 bill from the ambulance service for the failed transport.

It's unfortunate to be sure for both sides. Nobody will ever know for sure if the man would have survived without the vehicle breakdown. It may have just been a matter of bad timing, but that certainly doesn't make the family feel any better about the situation.

KDVR