FATAL WRECK Family of woman wrongly presumed dead 'concerned' Texas State student was thought dead after accident, covered with tarp and left unattended for two hours. By Laura Heinauer AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Tuesday, December 18, 2007 The family of Erica N. Smith, an Austin woman who was presumed dead after a traffic collision in San Antonio and later died, is "very concerned" about the amount of time that lapsed between when first responders arrived at the scene and when she was treated, her brother said today. Smith, a 23-year-old Texas State University senior, was covered with a yellow tarp, according to news reports, and police said she was left unattended for more than two hours Sunday after emergency medical personnel arrived at scene the wreck. She died Monday at Brooke Army Medical Center. "She was one of the best — you couldn't ask for a better sister," her brother, Bobby Smith, 21, said Tuesday. "She was just perfect." Paramedics covered Smith in a yellow tarp in the wreckage, the typical procedure when someone is killed, before an investigator for the medical examiner's office arrived at the scene and made the startling discovery that she was still alive, officials said. "It is unfathomable to me that my little cousin sat, bleeding, under a tarp and in the cold while receiving no medical attention," Kimberly McGuire, a cousin of Smith's, said in an e-mail to the San Antonio Express-News. "I can't help but wonder if her injuries would be less severe had she received the prompt medical treatment she deserved." San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said the department is reviewing the incident, but he didn't expect the paramedics to be disciplined. He would not specify how the paramedics checked Smith's condition but said they generally check for vital signs. "The paramedics, when they were doing their job, they didn't think they were missing anything," Hood said. According to a police report Smith was the front passenger in a Honda Accord, when the Accord was hit head-on by a vehicle that crossed a median on Loop 410. The driver of the other car, Seguin resident Jenny Ann Ybarra, 28, has been charged with intoxication assault. Police said she was released from Bexar County Jail after posting $5,000 bond on Sunday. lheinauer@statesman.com; 445-3694 Information from the Associated Press was used in this report. http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/12/19/1219accident.html
Oh my gosh.. that's horrible. You know they will sue. Though who exactly is at fault? The EMT's? The Hospital? Very sad.
Cohen did you hear about the crash at the end of Lacross and Mopac yesterday morning? One of our neighbors (about 6 houses down from me) was in her Tahoe and when the light turned green she started to cross the street and was hit by someone running the red light, a 17 year old boy driving a Ford Explorer. Our neighbor was ejected from the car and is not expected to live. She had a 4 year old daughter in the back seat, and 2 other daughters at Kiker, and the husband was out of state on business....he came back late yesterday. Also, they had just taken in their sisters 3 elementary aged boys...for some reason. Last I heard she was on life support and was not expected to make it. Amy Galic is her name.... So sad...... Link to article <html><head></head><body bgcolor=#ffffff><table width=607 height=350 border=0 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 align=center><tr><td valign=top align=center><img src=http://kxan.images.worldnow.com/images/static/hdr/hdr_607x37.gif width=607 height=37 border=0><p></p><table width=607 height=350 border=0 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=5><tr><td colspan=2 width=607><a href='http://www.kxan.com/global/video/popup/pop_playerLaunch.asp?clipId1=2026805&at1=News&vt1=v&h1=Woman+Fights+For+Her+Life+After+Accident&d1=34000&redirUrl=www.kxan.com&activePane=info&LaunchPageAdTag=homepage&clipFormat=' target=_blank><font face=Verdana,Arial size=3><b>Woman Fights For Her Life After Accident</b></font></a></td></tr><tr><td width=124 valign=top><table width=124 height=111 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=7 background=http://kxan.images.worldnow.com/global/images/static/video/btn/email_video_frame.gif><tr><td valign=top><a href=http://www.kxan.com/global/video/popup/pop_playerLaunch.asp?clipId1=2026805&at1=News&vt1=v&h1=Woman+Fights+For+Her+Life+After+Accident&d1=34000&redirUrl=www.kxan.com&activePane=info&LaunchPageAdTag=homepage&clipFormat=><img src="http://kxan.images.worldnow.com/images/2026805_vk.jpg" width=108 height=81 border=0 alt=Clip_Summary_Image><br><img src=http://kxan.images.worldnow.com/images/static/gfx/pxl_trans.gif width=108 height=18 border=0 alt=Play_Now_Button></a></td></tr></table></td><td valign=top width=441><font face=Verdana,Arial size=2></font><p></p><font face=Verdana,Arial size=1></font></td></tr><tr><td valign=center colspan=2 width=607><font face=Arial size=1><p></p><p></p>You'll need a version of Windows Media Player 7 or higher to view the video. If you need to download it, go to <a href=http://www.microsoft.com/windows/mediaplayer/en/default.asptarget=_blank>http://www.microsoft.com/windows/mediaplayer/en/default.asp.</a> The video player is supported by Microsoft IE 5.0 and above.</font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></body></html> DD
hey DD, do you remember hearing about someone jumping off one of those overpasses above 71 (on the west side). I was passing through a few months ago (maybe October) and there was this guys body in the middle of the road. It had just happened because cars were still pulling over and people were still converging...but i looked for some coverage on it and never saw any. Didnt know if it was a suicide or what
In a better world, the city would make the family an offer so a lawsuit wouldn't have to be filed. What I think will happen is the city will disclaim liability and argue their EMTs weren't negligent...at least not to pay.
My question is, who finally figured out that she was still alive? Did the coroner get there and say.. "You idiots, this woman is still alive" or what? I can't even imagine the horror. It's bad enough that you lose a family member, but then to find out that they could have gotten treatment 2 hours earlier?
No, I was coming back to houston from west texas. When you get on the freeway on the west side of 71...about 2 miles in, there is that one REALLY tall overpass. That seems to be where he fell. I saw some lady pointing up to the overpass so I assumed he jumped...Or maybe he owed someone money. Who knows, but there he was. Bloody as hell, arms and legs broken, laying in the left lane of the highway. I had to pass in the next lane so I got a good look I glad I wasnt going any faster, or that I had stopped to pee a few minutes earlier...couldnt even imagine him landing on my, or someone elses, car Needless to say the rest of the trip i was white knuckling it.
It never ceases to amaze me how some people cannot follow the simple rules of the road. I don't ever accept on faith that people will stop for red lights. I almost always look both ways before I start pulling through the intersection to make sure the other cars are stopping. If I do not do that, then I know I'm putting my life in some idiot's hands...who just may not stop. As far as people who cross over median lines and strike other cars head-on, it's hard to have a shred of sympathy for them (unless it can be attributed to a mechanical problem or something). They should be locked up. The fact is too many people are distracted on our roads today and it has gotten a hundred times worse because of technology. Too many dumbasses talking on cellphones, texting messages, looking at GPS navigators, stuffing their faces with food, not paying attention, etc. etc. etc. ...that they are barely focused on their driving. Since when did driving become this afterthought amongst everything else? There are just too many people on the roads these days and an ever-increasing number of idiots who disregard human life by driving carelessly. Don't even get me started about street racing.
Yeah, we must have heard about it shortly after it occured. My wife recognized her name as a Kiker mom, but we didn't know her. That intersection was already deadly, but I was surprised to see the 17 year-old ran the light on the southbound side; no bloody excuse for that. And apparently she didn't have her seatbelt on?? Wow, how can you do that esp. when you have young kids. Our prayers go out to Amy and her family.
