Suit Alleges Stroke Signs Overlooked
A woman has filed a lawsuit claiming that Santa Ana Fire Department officials dismissed signs that she was having a stroke and instead diagnosed her condition as stemming from “emotional problems.”
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Orange County Superior Court, Rosa Simpson of Santa Ana alleges that she suffered permanent injuries after Fire Department officials failed to take her to a hospital for medical treatment.
Parties to the suit could not be reached for comment late Thursday.
The lawsuit alleges that Simpson fell in her bathroom Dec. 26, 1992, and was talking incoherently when her daughter found her. Her daughter called 911, but Fire Department officials who responded said Simpson was not suffering from an illness or injury but from “emotional problems,” the lawsuit alleges.
The next day, Simpson’s daughter called 911 again when she found her mother “unresponsive and not talking,” according to the lawsuit.
Fire officials arrived and again told Simpson’s daughter that the woman was not ill, the lawsuit alleges.
Simpson’s relatives took her to a hospital later that same day, where it was determined that she had suffered a stroke, according to the lawsuit.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
