VERDICT: GUILTY

The two Colorado paramedics on trial for homicide in the death of Elijah McClain have been found GUILTY on some of the criminal counts that were filed against them. Both were found guilty of negligent homicide, and one was found guilty of second-degree assault. The two had been charged with reckless manslaughter, negligent homicide, and assault.
 
A conviction in this case is sending shock waves through the EMS community in the United States. There are major lessons to be learned for EMS practitioners and EMS leaders throughout the country. Although we said from the start that we thought that a criminal prosecution was an overreach in this case, the prosecution brought this case and obtained a conviction. In addition, there was a separate lawsuit in which Mr. McClain’s family was paid $15 million in a civil settlement. This case has significant ramifications in many areas, including recruitment and retention, how EMS interacts with law enforcement on a scene, the role of protocols, the necessity of a foundational patient assessment, the prehospital use of ketamine, and many other critical clinical and operational issues that were litigated in this trial.
 
Because of the importance of this case and its lessons for EMS nationwide, we are holding a PWW National Town Hall Webinar to discuss this landmark case. THIS WEBINAR IS FREE OF CHARGE AS A PUBLIC SERVICE OF PWW. EMS practitioners, EMS and fire department leaders, EMS medical directors, and others can attend this webinar to hear expert EMS legal analysis of the case, and, more importantly, have your questions answered on what this case means, how to avoid similar incidents, and how EMS personnel should be trained on the lessons of this case. We will also have a forthcoming article on  Jems.com discussing the details of this case.

 
REGISTER HERE: PWW National Town Hall: EMS Legal Review of the Elijah McClain Trial
Tuesday, January 9, 2024
2:00 – 3:30 p.m. EST

*This webinar is free of charge*