BELLINGHAM (AP) — Relatives of a man whose body was used by the Bellingham Fire Department for intubation practice have filed claims against the city totaling more than $15 million.
Eleven fire department employees — including two office workers — acknowledged practicing inserting and removing breathing tubes on the body of Bradley Ginn Sr. while waiting for it to be transported to a funeral home in July.
A review by a Seattle attorney determined it had been an accepted practice for department paramedics to meet certification requirements by practicing on patients who had just died, but the fire department said in October that such “tube checks” were not to be performed without the consent of the patient’s next-of-kin.
Twelve employees were disciplined. One paramedic was suspended for a week without pay. A captain with nearly three decades of experience with the department retired rather than face demotion, and a division chief resigned, the department said.
Ginn’s wife, Jai Ginn, filed a $15 million claim for damages, saying she had suffered physical and mental pain.
She also made claims for the unauthorized invasion and desecration of a dead body and possible wrongful death.