Man has a stroke, found slumped in his car, police arrest him

[tulipsandroses]

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Boston Police found Al Copeland slumped in his car, unable to speak or stand because he had just suffered a major stroke while driving back from the hospital, where he was helping a young man experiencing alcohol and drug troubles.

When police looked at the toppled over man, they assumed he was intoxicated and brought him to the police station, where they were unable to book him because he didn't have the presence of mind. Before putting him in a lock up, they brought him to the bathroom where he fell, opening a gash on his head.

For the next five hours, Copeland just laid lifeless in the cell. Not until he started vomiting did they finally call the EMTs. They told the hospital emergency room staff that he had been arrested for OUI. Based on that, the nurses left him on a gurney for another seven hours untreated. With a stroke, there are critical time

Attorney George Leontire worked on this case for close to a year, and wrote out a complaint, stating "the City of Boston violated this individual's civil rights, among other things. It's Boston Police policy, if they come across an individual who clearly is having a medical issue, irrespective of the reason why they're having a medical issue, they have the responsibility to take that person to the hospital. Toxicology tests revealed he was clean and sober, a fact his wife verified, for 29 years. It's evident the Boston Police should have taken Mr. Copeland to the hospital."

Read More: Boston Police Mistakenly Assumed a Stroke Patient Was Intoxicated | https://wbsm.com/boston-police-mistakenly-assumed-a-stroke-patient-was-intoxicated/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

[pansypoo53219]

1. did he SMELL like booze? do they hire twits on purpose?

[OrangeJoe]

2. Start writing a check

Once again the taxpayers are going to be writing a multimillion dollar check to pay for their police departments failures. When are people going to wise up and stop hiring these clowns?

[SunSeeker]

10. The cops got off cheap at $1.3 million. He should have gotten a lot more.

He is disabled for life because they delayed treatment for 5 hours.

[Tanuki]

3. His wife nailed it:

"Why they didn't assume he was sick? I can only and strongly believe it's because he's a Black male."

"I think there's a lot of merit to that argument," said Attorney Leontire. "What made this case particularly egregious is that the officers, in their report, wrote they smelled alcohol, where there was no alcohol whatsoever in his system. I think there is a reasonable assumption that this was a Black man and they mistreated him."

[malaise]

18. There is history in Boston

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215956770

[malaise]

19. There is history in Boston

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215956770

[Celerity]

4. Fucking outrageous.

[Faux pas]

5. Kickin'

[SleeplessinSoCal]

6. I'm relieved to see he survived and won a substantial settlement.

https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2021/10/12/listen-boston-paid-1-3-million-after-police-arrested-black-man-as-he-suffered-a-stroke-wbur-reports/

[SunSeeker]

11. $1.3 million is not a substantial settlement. He is only 63 and is disabled for life.

If they didn't delay treatment by 5 hours, and instead took him to a hospital right away, he would have recovered quickly and likely not suffered the permanent disability he has, like his trouble walking.
When they finally did take him to the hospital, they told the nurses he was a DUI, so the hospital let him sit in the ER for another 7 hours before helping him!

[Withywindle]

12. +1

They made his condition MUCH worse than it would have been. They deliberately, maliciously contributed to his suffering. if they hadn't lied about his true condition, he would probably have gotten urgent care help much sooner.

He deserves much more, and those cops need to lose their jobs. Permanently. No "administrative leave."

[malaise]

20. THIS

was institutional racism

[LittleGirl]

7. Good gracious that's horrible.

WTF Boston PD! I wish this settlement came out of their retirement fund and not the taxpayers dime. JFC.

[Withywindle]

13. Taxpayers always pay for this shit, unfortunately

Hell, that's half the appeal of "defund the police" for me. You're a cop and you make a call this viciously cruel? The city should not pay to cover your lawsuit. That should come out of YOUR OWN pocket. Can't afford it? Too bad, so sad. Get a second job at McDonald's. I hear they're desperate these days.

I'm sick of paying for these callous, brutal thugs to get out of facing any personal consequences themselves.

[nilram]

8. Add it to the list: having a stroke while Black.

[SunSeeker]

9. He should have gotten a lot more than $1.3 million.

If they had taken him promptly to the hospital when they found him on the side of the road, he could have avoided much of the disability he now suffers, including trouble walking. Prompt treatment of stroke victims, especially if within 1 hour of onset of stroke symptoms, works miracles.

But these assholes arrested him and kept him locked up for 5 hours, let him fall and gash his head while in custody, causing further head trauma, then sent him to a racist hospital who also assumed he was drunk and let him sit in the ER waiting room for 7 hours unconscious. He should sue that fucking hospital!!

It is truly amazing he survived that ordeal.

[Withywindle]

14. +1

He should have his medical bills covered for life at bare minimum. Sadly, that will probably be more than 1.3 million considering how broken our health care is.

[Aussie105]

15. Duty of care means nothing?

Once someone is in police custody, his/he welfare is their responsibility.

Of course, the police departments don't hire the brightest.

Easier to assume someone in that condition - especially if black - is just stupid drunk, and not having a medical episode requiring medical attention.
'Let him sleep it off' could have ended in his death. Autopsy and blood toxicology reports would have told a story of negligence.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

17. PrOtEcTiNg AnD sErViNg

Abolition now.

[marie999]

21. Shouldn't the hospital also be sued?

[mainer]

22. That's what I'm thinking too

They left him on a gurney for SEVEN HOURS without examining him or diagnosing him? Unless they were swamped with COVID patients, there's really no excuse for this.

[Wingus Dingus]

24. Yep.

[Wingus Dingus]

23. Wow, when did these officers have time to graduate from medical school? Congratulations, guys!

Lawsuit city.

[SunSeeker]

27. How about the fucking hospital that had him lay for 7 hours, thinking he was a DUI?

He settled with the cops for $1.3 million, which was not nearly enough. Now he needs to turn around and sue the hospital!

[Wingus Dingus]

28. Yeah, they deserve it even more, really.

Cops don't understand medical assessment. But actual medical personnel do. They should have known you verify someone's medical status upon intake rather than take a layperson's theory as gospel (and the cops in a medical situation count as laypersons). Even if he had been known to be drunk or high, the man could have had other critical things going on (like semiconsciousness and an inability to protect airway), or he could have been in a diabetic coma, or any number of possibilities, not to mention the stroke.

[SunSeeker]

29. Exactly. nt

[Iggo]

25. Cops.

[VGNonly]

26. Treatment for stroke

needs to take place by 3-4 hours. The drug is tPA. After that time, the effectiveness drops quickly. He was left untreated for about 12 hours.