Opinion ID: 785861
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Mr. Rivas is Placed on a Stretcher

Text: 17 After several minutes passed, a second wave of police officers arrived on scene. They were Officers Mauro Farallo, Timothy O'Donnell, Robert Longo and Glisette Caceras. With their assistance, the officers were able to handcuff Mr. Rivas's hands behind his back and a short time later, Mr. Rivas apparently came out of his seizure and became still. Garcia returned to the apartment and the officers picked Mr. Rivas up and placed him face down on the stretcher. Garcia knew from his EMT training that the proper protocol is to place a patient face up on a stretcher to make sure the airway remains clear, which is particularly important for a seizure victim. Garcia later acknowledged that he became concerned about Mr. Rivas's airway when the officers placed him face-down on the stretcher, but that he did not speak up because he felt the scene was taken over by the police. After the officers placed Mr. Rivas on the stretcher, Garcia bound his ankles with cloth restraints. 18 Once Mr. Rivas was secured in the stretcher, Garcia helped the officers carry him downstairs. They carried him down the stairs head first, even though EMTs are trained to carry patients down stairs feet first. Again, Garcia did not say anything to the police officers. 19 The Rivas family claims the officers were making crude remarks like, Damn, he's heavy, this pig, this dog, as they carried Mr. Rivas down the stairs. Near the bottom of the stairwell, one of the straps on the stretcher apparently snapped and Mr. Rivas slid out of the stretcher head first, struck his head, and tumbled down the steps. While he lay on the stairs, he lost control of his bowels and defecated himself. Officers Longo and O'Donnell grabbed Mr. Rivas by his arms and slid him down the remaining stairs and onto the front porch. 20 Rodriguez, who was standing at the top of the stairs, did not see Mr. Rivas fall out of the stretcher, but she heard the commotion and looked over. The smell of vomit and feces quickly overpowered her and she ran outside. As she passed through the porch, she saw Mr. Rivas laying on the floor with some blood near his head. 21 Officer Longo testified that Mr. Rivas became combative on the porch. He testified that, together with Officers Farallo and O'Donnell, he held Mr. Rivas down on the porch. Officer Longo said he held Mr. Rivas down by placing his body weight on top of Mr. Rivas's shoulders, and that the other officers used similar means to restrain Mr. Rivas.