The family of Michael Shanon Jamieson has gone to court over his death after a medical emergency at a major Las Vegas auto convention, accusing staff at The Venetian Resort and the Specialty Equipment Market Association of blocking lifesaving help.
In a wrongful-death lawsuit filed in Clark County District Court, Jamieson’s estate alleges that when he collapsed during a SEMA event at The Venetian last November, personnel at the resort and the show got in the way of trained medical providers who were trying to intervene. Jamieson suffered a heart attack at the convention, was taken to a hospital, and died weeks later after remaining in critical condition. The suit asks a judge to decide whether venue and event staff should have allowed outside medical professionals to step in.
According to the complaint, Jamieson suffered the heart attack on Nov. 7, 2024, at a SEMA convention at The Venetian and was transported to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center. There, he “remained unconscious and in critical condition with no brain activity” until his death on Nov. 27, the filing states. The estate names The Venetian and the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) as defendants and seeks general and special damages in excess of $15,000, along with punitive damages, attorney fees, costs and statutory interest. SEMA and The Venetian did not respond to requests for comment, according to the Las Vegas Review‑Journal.
What the lawsuit says
The complaint centers on a stark allegation: that SEMA and Venetian staff “physically prevented medical providers from providing assistance or first aid” at the scene. It further contends that personnel on-site were not trained to handle an emergency of this kind…