Seattle Pays Family $2M After Man Dies of Heart Attack At Address Wrongly on 911 Blacklist

The city of Seattle has agreed to provide $1.86 million in compensation to the family of a man who suffered a fatal heart attack. The incident occurred after a caution note attached to his address caused a delay in the response of medical professionals.

In 2021, William Yurek, 48, passed away in his townhouse. When his son called 911, Seattle Fire Department medics initially held back, waiting for law enforcement to arrive before entering the premises, as reported by The Seattle Times.

The family contended that Yurek was mistakenly placed on a blacklist of individuals deemed hostile to police and fire crews. Yurek had been residing in the unit for a couple of years prior to his death, and the previous tenant had been listed on this outdated registry, according to a lawsuit filed the previous year.

According to the lawsuit, medics were instructed to wait for a law enforcement escort. As Yurek’s condition deteriorated, his then 13-year-old son made another 911 call and was informed that assistance was on its way, even though the medics had already arrived.

Subsequently, the medics decided to enter the home without waiting for the police. Despite their best efforts, Yurek died.

“Once inside, medics did everything they could to save Will’s life,” Mark Lindquist, the family’s attorney said. “The family has always been grateful to the medics who broke protocol to go in and do their best.”

The city has since made adjustments to its operational protocols concerning caution notes. According to Seattle city attorney’s office spokesperson Tim Robinson, these notes now expire after 365 days in the system or undergo review and renewal. Notes indicating the need for assistance from the Seattle Police Department due to alleged violent or threatening behavior are to be validated after each dispatch to the address, as per Robinson.

Furthermore, in August, Seattle agreed to compensate a former 911 call center manager with $162,500. This individual had filed a lawsuit alleging wrongful punishment for raising concerns about workplace issues, including the practice of maintaining a blacklist in dispatch procedures.

According to a medical doctor, the delay in response contributed to Yurek’s unfortunate outcome, reducing his chances of survival from 25% to none, as stated by Lindquist.

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