Paramedic sues for £100k over assault

Published on Friday 27 January 2012 12:40

A PARAMEDIC who was off work for six months after being attacked by a patient is suing ambulance bosses for £100,000 after claiming they did not tell her the call-out was dangerous.

Lynn Sutherland was punched and kicked by 16-year-old Grahame Donnelly after racing to his home amid fears he had taken an overdose of anti-depressants.

The 37-year-old suffered injuries to her arm, ribs, shoulder and neck while trying to restrain the teenager.

Ms Sutherland launched a legal action for damages against the Scottish Ambulance Service at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.

Her lawyers argue that the service failed to warn her that the teenager had already attacked his mother, adding that police should have been in attendance to provide support.

Ms Sutherland, who lives in Dalry, was working with colleague, Martin Gemmell, in Livingston when the pair received a message to attend an emergency in Harthill, North Lanarkshire.

Her lawyers told the court that ambulance colleagues in Paisley tried to inform the dispatch centre minutes later that it was a “violent scene” and that the patient had attacked his mother.

The message triggered a warning bar on a dispatcher’s screen, but she did not see it and failed to inform the crew.

Ms Sutherland and Mr Gemmell arrived at around 10pm and said she met Donnelly’s aunt outside the home but was left with “no reason to suspect the patient was violent”.

Once in the sitting room, Ms Sutherland said that Donnelly’s mother told them she had been assaulted by her son earlier.

Ms Sutherland said that the teenager got to his feet and punched her in the jaw, leading to a violent struggle when she was punched and kicked.

She alerted police, who arrived at 10.23pm. Four officers, along with the paramedics, restrained the patient.

Her lawyers told the court that Scottish Ambulance Service protocols set out that crews should not work in violent incidents without police support

They argued that had the crew known beforehand, they would have requested police back-up and the dispatch centre’s failure to relay the warning constituted a failure to take “reasonable care”.

But lawyers for the service said that it was the teenager’s mother who had been outside the home and warned them of the attack on her.

The service’s lawyers added that it was “not feasible” to “prevent all employees from exposures to violence”.

They contended that the situation would not have been any different if the dispatch centre alerted them over the violent behaviour, or whether the mother did outside.

The solicitors firm representing Ms Sutherland, said it did not want to comment.

A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesman said it could not comment.

Comments

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7

Mark Bishop

Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 07:56 PM

I'd definitely bring charges against the patient and take out a civil suit against him. Why the very people who are there to help get hurt is beyond me. I would have let the boy take the consequences of his actions, a public apology and remove his phone, music system and all of his toys for the six months that this lady was off work. 100K seems excessive though.

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6

sixstrange

Friday, January 27, 2012 at 07:33 PM

All these idiots don't need the professional care and commitment of intelligent paramedics, No one needs to save another wasted life.

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5

VilIage Idiot

Friday, January 27, 2012 at 05:39 PM

100k a touch steep IMHO?

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jerrymanders

Friday, January 27, 2012 at 04:56 PM

#2 If you are being attacked I think you have every right to "place hands" on the attacker! I don't quite understand where £100k comes into it right enough but getting a kicking when you are there to help is above and beyond the call of duty.

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3

fabiosso

Friday, January 27, 2012 at 04:34 PM

if it's me i wouldn't bother with him, but this woman was doing her job because she cares, and all the time these people pay the prize, if he died maybe she will be blamed for not doing her job properly,

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2

Dragonlord

Friday, January 27, 2012 at 03:29 PM

There is no case to answer, Why was she trying to restrain the patient in the first place? She had no right to put her hands on him and the police should have been called to take any action required.

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1

Tefer82

Friday, January 27, 2012 at 02:52 PM

Can the patient no be sued here??

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