Richmond University Medical Center—the hospital that dispatched paramedics and treated Eric Garner as he died by being put in a chokehold by New York City Police Officer, Daniel Pantaleo—is paying Garner’s family $1 million dollars, according to court documents obtained on Tuesday (Feb 23) by The Associated Press.
Initially, the settlement with the hospital was confidential, and was not part of the $5.9 million agreement that was announced by the city on July. Though the figure was disclosed in court documents filed by the Surrogate’s Court in Staten Island.
The settlement is the maximum amount allowed under the hospitals’ liability insurance policy, according to court documents. When asked for comment, the hospital center remained mum, according to Spokesman, William Smith. Garner’s lawyer also did not respond.
Garner’s death on July 17, 2014 caused a national stir, as the whole event was caught in a video that surfaced online of him yelling out “I can’t breathe” after Officer Pantaleo put a chokehold around his neck as other officers wrestled him down. Reportedly, the paramedics arrived on the scene after the officers called 911. The workers checked his pulse, and made sure he was breathing before they placed him on the stretcher.
According to court documents however, “The E.M.T.s did not conduct the appropriate examination” of Garner on the scene, and “failed to provide him with the necessary lifesaving procedures.”
Also, hospital records filed in the court documents indicate that Garner went into cardiac arrest on the stretcher; the paramedics tried to resuscitate him in the ambulance. Later, once in the hospital doctors performed CPR, but by 4:15 pm he had no pulse, and was pronounced dead at 4:34 p.m.
No criminal charges have been filed in the killing of Garner, though two emergency room technicians and two paramedics were suspended without pay from the hospital. Since then, they have returned to jobs, which do not involve patient care.
The city medical examiner concluded that the main cause of Garner’s death was caused by the chokehold he was placed on , and restraint from the police, along with heart disease, obesity and acute asthma. He was 6’2 and weighed 395 pounds.
While Garner’s death is unfortunate, at least the family is getting some form of compensation.