Additional Coverage:
- Seattle woman, 71, in extreme pain dies after ’10 hour ambulance delay as 911 calls ignored’ (themirror.com)
Seattle Faces Lawsuit Over Delayed Ambulance Response in Fatal 911 Call Case
The estate of Pamela Hogan, a 71-year-old Seattle resident who died after an ambulance allegedly failed to respond promptly to her emergency calls, has won a significant legal victory in its lawsuit against the city and its ambulance provider.
Hogan’s estate filed suit last year, claiming that Seattle and American Medical Response (AMR), the city’s ambulance contractor, did not adequately address her repeated 911 calls, which contributed to her death. While the city and AMR have denied these allegations and sought to have the case dismissed, King County Superior Court Judge David Keenan recently ruled that the lawsuit can proceed.
The case stems from an incident on April 8, 2022, when Hogan, suffering from severe knee pain, reached out to multiple emergency services. She was transferred from the Seattle Fire Department dispatcher to an AMR nurse line operator, reporting that her pain was a 10 out of 10 and left her bedridden, unable to walk or perform basic functions.
Despite calling 911 several times and expressing fears that she might be experiencing congestive heart failure, Hogan reportedly faced long delays. According to the lawsuit, an AMR ambulance did not arrive until nearly 10 hours later. When the ambulance arrived, Hogan did not answer their calls, leading responders to leave without providing assistance.
Tragically, Hogan’s body was discovered six weeks later, in a state of decomposition next to her bed. The incident has prompted scrutiny of Seattle’s emergency response system, particularly its 2022 contract that diverts some 911 calls to nurse operators.
In their defense, city and AMR attorneys cited phone records indicating Hogan’s phone was active two days after the ambulance’s arrival, suggesting she survived for some time afterward. They also referenced the medical examiner’s conclusion that her probable cause of death was heart disease and noted the gap between the ambulance response and her passing to argue against direct responsibility.
With the lawsuit now moving forward, the case raises important questions about emergency response protocols and accountability in Seattle’s 911 system.