Posted on 01/31/2007 7:15:56 PM PST by Kaslin
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A woman whose premature baby died the day after she was arrested has sued the Kansas City Police Department and two officers who repeatedly ignored her pleas for medical help while they were arresting her.
A police videotape released Tuesday shows Sofia Salva telling police officers numerous times on Feb. 5, 2006, that she was pregnant, bleeding and needed to go to a hospital.
After the ninth request, a female officer asked: "How is that my problem?"
Salva, a Sudanese native, was held overnight on traffic violations and outstanding city warrants. After being released the next morning, she delivered a premature baby boy who died after one minute, according to a lawsuit Salva filed Friday in Jackson County Circuit Court.
Salva sued officers Melody Spencer and Kevin Schnell and the Police Department for wrongful death, personal injuries and failure to provide medical assistance. Salva is seeking actual damages exceeding $25,000 and punitive damages to punish and deter such conduct in the future.
"The officers went into this with a preconceived idea of who and what they were dealing with, and they were wrong," said Salva's attorney, Andrew Protzman. "It's tragic."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
There is no monetary price for life, but it should definitely be more than $25,000. It wasn't the child's fault that there were traffic violations and "outstanding city warrants."
Rest in Peace, little boy.
They detained a woman in labor and withheld medical care?
They... are... so... screwed...
If this is what it seems to be then these bozos should all be fired and brought up on charges.
Unless that article missed some huge facts then the police absolutely deserve to be sued for negligence and the female officer in that case should be fired. Disgusting indifference on her part. Would the kid have survived had she gotten quick medical attention? That cannot be known but you can bet his chances would have been substantially higher.
The Officers should have been taken her to the hospital. I saw the video. There is no excuse for what took place with this..
To say it was a "miscarriage" of justice might be appropriate here.
sw
Did the lady speak English?
I saw the video also and they treated her horribly. The poor woman was pleading with them for help.
Yes she spoke English.
The city is. They probably aren't. Deeper pockets.
SGLI, 400k.
I recently got a ridiculous ticket, and now when they call and ask for donations to the policeman's Ball, I decline.
It was in the middle of the day, nobody around, and I'm a woman in a mini-van, and three cop cars decended on me. (I thought I was in the middle of a car chase). It was a total trap, at the bottom of a hill where I was going 51 in a 45, but on the side were three orange cones... supposedly a "construction zone."
They had so much adrenaline going it was pathetic. I told them to calm down, and not play so many violent video games.
She must have bad lawyers. I hope the punitive damages push it into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. For punitive purposes, it needs to be high. I saw the video on the news. The callous disregard of the police to this woman's bleeding was shocking.
self ping
After the ninth request, a female officer asked: "How is that my problem?"
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