A drunk man who unbuckled himself and jumped from a moving ambulance is suing New York City for his injuries.
“On Friday, Mr. [Yaugeni] Kralkin, 56, filed suit in State Supreme Court on Staten Island against the city, the Fire Department and the four emergency medical workers who were administering to him that night last June,” reports The New York Times. “Mr. Kralkin has accused the workers of failing in their duties, saying they did not stop him from exiting the ambulance and are thus responsible for the injuries he sustained hitting the pavement on Richmond Avenue.
“The seemingly strange assignation of blame hinges on one point: Mr. Kralkin was incredibly drunk, with a blood-alcohol level so high he was unaware of his actions, he says, even as he unbuckled straps and ultimately dived from the vehicle, according to his lawyer. The emergency medical workers failed in their duty to protect him, the lawsuit contends, even from himself, in his inebriated state — attributed to a bottle of cognac.”
Kralkin unbuckled himself from his gurney, opened the doors of the ambulance, and jumped out of the vehicle, tumbling onto the asphalt and knocking himself unconscious.
By the time a second ambulance got him to Staten Island University Hospital, he had a blood-alcohol content of .34, which means it could have been much higher when he jumped out of the first ambulance.
“According to a chart developed by the Michigan State University’s Olin Health Center, blood alcohol from .25 to .34 for males can result in ‘disorientation,’ and ‘impaired consciousness,’ among other symptoms,” writes The Times.
Kralkin’s lawyer, Borislav Chernyy, explained that their position is that Kralkin “was so grossly unsober, he had so much alcohol in his system, that the condition he was in rendered him the equivalent of helpless, absolutely helpless to make informed decisions about his own safety.”
“Even when we make poor choices, the ones who are there to protect us such as the paramedics should help us in our time of need — even when our time of need is a product of a very poor choice,” Chernyy said.
Robert Ungar, spokesman for the Uniformed EMTs, Paramedics and Fire Inspectors F.D.N.Y. Local 2507 — the union that represents the four medical workers named in the suit — said the workers had no legal responsibility for Kralkin’s actions, even if he was "grossly unsober."
“Unlike the police, Mr. Ungar said, emergency medical workers are unarmed and do not have the authority to restrain people against their will,” writes the Times. “The buckles on a stretcher or gurney in an ambulance are merely a version of a seatbelt.”
“They are not involuntary restraints; it is not a straitjacket situation,” Ungar said.
“There is no provision for locking anybody in,” he added. “What is this E.M.T. supposed to do to stop somebody who loses control of themselves and does something crazy like that? It’s not their job to get into a physical altercation with somebody who decides they are going to try and jump out of the ambulance.”
Kralkin is seeking compensation for his medical bills as well as damages from falling out of the ambulance on June 11, 2016.
Do you think New York City, the Fire Department, or the four emergency medical workers who were in the ambulance will be found liable for Kralkin’s actions while drunk? Or is this just another example of a person unwilling to take responsibility for his actions? Let us know what you think in the comments section below!
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