Did TX Medics Do Enough to Save Dying Crash Victim?
By: Tony Plohetski, Austin American-Statesman
Feb. 09–Emergency officials are investigating whether paramedics who responded to a hit-and-run last fall did enough to help a dying man, raising the question of how far first responders should go to save a gravely injured patient.
The issue arose after body camera video captured a roadside dispute between medics from Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services and Travis County Fire Rescue, who pressed for permission to keep working on 73-year-old Joe McKoy after they discovered he was still breathing after the Sept. 27 crash.
McKoy, who suffered a severe head injury, was not taken to the hospital. He was pronounced dead at the scene near Texas 130 and Pearce Lane about 30 minutes after the crash. Records show medics called a doctor for consultation and, later, to declare him dead.
