Lawsuit: Ambulance wait a factor in Mississippi mom’s death

Published 11:09 am Thursday, August 22, 2019

(AP) — Family members of a Mississippi woman who went into cardiac arrest and died after waiting about an hour for an ambulance are suing the county, city and ambulance service for negligence.

The Clarion Ledger reports 63-year-old Elizabeth Neal began feeling the symptoms of congestive heart failure while at Bible study in 2018 and called 911. The lawsuit says an ambulance arrived nearly an hour later as Neal entered full cardiac arrest. CPR was performed, but she later died at a hospital.

Neal’s daughters Tameka Dinkins and Rosalind Yarber filed for unspecified damages against Hinds County, the city of Jackson and the ambulance service. Yarber is the wife of former Jackson Mayor Tony Yarber.

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Hinds County Attorney Pieter Teeuwissen said the county’s not responsible because the ambulance company is independent.