Woman files claim after husband’s death

A former Huntington Beach resident has filed a claim against the city for unspecified damages after her husband died of cardiac arrest when paramedics had determined he was not having a cardiac incident, she said.

The claim, filed by Christine Palmer, alleges negligence on behalf of the paramedics for leaving her husband, Robert Palmer, when they responded to her call Oct. 13. Robert Palmer died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital and could not be revived.

“They only have a window of time. They wasted that time,” Palmer said.

Laurie Payne, the city’s community relations officer, said the claim is being reviewed by third-party investigators and she couldn’t comment further.

According to Palmer, who now lives in Northern California, the medical personnel are at fault for sending her husband to the hospital without a paramedic in the ambulance and misdiagnosing his symptoms.

“Paramedics go to a lot of heart attacks, and they should know the symptoms of a heart attack,” she said. “They [my husband’s symptoms] were classic.”

Palmer called 911 at 8 a.m. Oct. 13 after her husband started experiencing extreme chest pain and labored breathing, according to the claim. He was writhing in pain and said he was scared after his arm went numb, leading his wife to suspect a heart attack, she said.

According to the claim, the paramedics and other medical personnel assessed the situation and determined Robert Palmer was not having a cardiac incident and transferred him to the hospital without a paramedic onboard — something Palmer said she found out in the aftermath of the situation.

“I’m not a paramedic. I’m not a doctor. I believed them,” Palmer said. “When they said it wasn’t [a cardiac incident], I believed it.”

Palmer said she is perplexed at how they could not have known he was having a heart attack.

According to city law, people must file claims against the city within six months of the incident in question. Palmer filed the claim one month after the six-month deadline, but said she knew the deadline had passed. She said the city of Huntington Beach has only told her the claim was late and hasn’t communicated with her otherwise, but said she hopes they will at least correct how heart attack calls are handled.

“I wouldn’t want to see anyone ever go through this,” she said. “I still wonder if my husband would still be alive if they had jumped into action immediately.”