Black Mother of 5-Day Old Baby Dies After Paramedics Refuse to Save Her Life

Tampa, FL — Crystle Galloway, a 30-year old mother who was a possible stroke victim, died after four paramedics refused to give her proper treatment. The victim’s mother believes the paramedics didn’t help them intentionally because they assumed that Crystle could not pay for the ambulance ride. The four paramedics have since been suspended for “gross neglect of duty.”

Crystle, a mother of three, had shown symptoms of stroke just five days after giving birth to her baby. She later died, but the family believes that she could have been saved if only she was given the necessary treatments.

According to reports, four medics who responded to a 911 call about an unconscious and drooling woman failed to even check her vital signs. They are also accused of falsifying records. They were placed on paid administrative leave on Friday in connection with the incident, Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill said.

Nicole Benhamou, Galloway’s mother, said she called 911 and informed the responding medics that she might be suffering from a stroke. When they arrived, she also told them that she just had a C-section. But they didn’t examine her and only told them they couldn’t afford the ambulance.

“They never asked us if we had insurance, which we do,” Benhamou told WPBF-TV News.

Benhamou said the medics eventually told her that she could just bring Galloway herself to the hospital since they couldn’t afford the ambulance. She did drove Galloway to Brandon Regional Hospital but her condition was getting worse that she had to be flown to Tampa General Hospital, where she went into a coma and eventually died.

The medics dispute that claim and said that it was Benhamou who insisted on bringing Galloway to the hospital by herself. But there was no informed consent form signed to prove their statement. Instead, they allegedly falsified the records and indicated that the patient could not be found.

The four paramedics, who each worked with the department for as much as nine years, will undergo disciplinary hearing on July 31 for their gross neglect of duty that could be the possible reason for Galloway’s death.

Meanwhile, Benhamou started a GoFundMe to help her with the expenses for her grandchildren, including a 5-day-old baby, who were left behind by their mother. So far, they have exceeded the goal and raised about $9,000.