Originally Posted by fly out
By Liz Sawyer Star Tribune May 28, 2020 — 11:37am
“By the time George Floyd was en route to the hospital Monday evening, he was unresponsive and without a pulse. But for nearly an hour, first responders and ER staff refused to give up on the 46-year-old St. Louis Park man in their care.
“He still had an outside chance,” said Hennepin Healthcare EMS Chief Marty Scheerer. “Even if it’s a super long shot, you’ve got to try your best.”
But 90 minutes after his initial encounter with Minneapolis police, Floyd was pronounced dead at HCMC.
“We feel the loss as well,” said Scheerer, who believes paramedics did everything right after getting the medical distress call that evening.
A 10-minute video broadcast live on Facebook captured the moments that led up to Floyd’s death. Officer Derek Chauvin is seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck while he lies face down, handcuffed, and pleading that he can’t breathe. Minutes later, Floyd goes limp and appears to lose consciousness. Hennepin EMS then arrive six minutes after the distress call.
Civilian footage shows a medical worker touching Floyd’s head as Chauvin remains on top of him. Paramedics and officers eventually flip Floyd over, load him on a gurney and into the ambulance while he was still handcuffed. Once inside, a responder freed his hands.
The decision to “load and go,” rather than triage at the scene, was likely based on their race against the clock, Scheerer said. Unloading all the equipment can often take much longer than treating a patient from inside the ambulance.”
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