donnay
07-19-2013, 08:55 AM
Woman handcuffed and left on ground as police thought she was a drunk driver - but she was almost dead from diabetic shock
Police have admitted they need more training after a Santa Fe woman suffering a diabetic seizure was handcuffed and 'roughly' thrown into the back of a police car because officers thought she was drunk.
Revina Garcia said she was lucky she didn't fall into a diabetic coma when she was pulled out of her car, pushed to the ground and handcuffed by police after she rear-ended a pick-up truck on Paseo Real near the N.M. 599 intersection in New Mexico on Friday.
While Garcia, 56, was wearing an insulin pump on her waistband, police only called emergency services after the 'disoriented' woman managed to mumble that she was diabetic.
According to a police report obtained by Santa Fe New Mexican, Santa Fe County sheriff's deputy Joseph McLaughlin asked Garcia to put her vehicle in park, turn off the ignition and unlock the door or window.
But when she didn't comply after 'multiple requests' and tried to drive off twice, a second deputy broke one of the car's windows.
McLaughlin then reached in and switched off the car's ignition, undid Garcia's seat belt and removed her from the 2013 Hyundai.
The officers then threw Garcia to the ground and handcuffed her.
'I did not detect the odor of an alcoholic beverage, but Garcia did seem to be very disoriented,' the report said.
'When asked [why] she did not comply with my requests she replied ‘I’m sorry.’'
According to Santa Fe New Mexican, police believed Garcia then 'mumbled something about being diabetic' before the officers realized they should call paramedics who said she was 'suffering from a diabetic emergency'.
Garcia told Koat Action 7 News she believed officers thought she was a drunk driver, but should have known she was diabetic from the insulin pump clipped to her waistband.
She said law enforcers must receive more training to recognize when someone needs medical care.
'I'm surprised I didn't go into a coma in the back of that police car,' she said.
'Most people if their blood sugars are in the 20s are comatose.
'If there's education this wouldn't happen. This wouldn't have happened.'
Santa Fe County sheriff Robert Garcia told Santa Fe New Mexican his office is 'sensitive to the issue' and officers receive training in how to recognize diabetic attacks, but 'in a situation like this, things happen fast'.
He said his office is reviewing incident footage and conducting an internal review in addition to meeting with Revina Garcia and her husband.
'We are looking into it. It’s not something we are just going to blow off and not deal with,' he said.
'We have to refresh our law enforcement personnel on this issue.'
Source:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2370226/Woman-handcuffed-left-ground-police-thought-drunk-driver--dead-diabetic-shock.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490
Police have admitted they need more training after a Santa Fe woman suffering a diabetic seizure was handcuffed and 'roughly' thrown into the back of a police car because officers thought she was drunk.
Revina Garcia said she was lucky she didn't fall into a diabetic coma when she was pulled out of her car, pushed to the ground and handcuffed by police after she rear-ended a pick-up truck on Paseo Real near the N.M. 599 intersection in New Mexico on Friday.
While Garcia, 56, was wearing an insulin pump on her waistband, police only called emergency services after the 'disoriented' woman managed to mumble that she was diabetic.
According to a police report obtained by Santa Fe New Mexican, Santa Fe County sheriff's deputy Joseph McLaughlin asked Garcia to put her vehicle in park, turn off the ignition and unlock the door or window.
But when she didn't comply after 'multiple requests' and tried to drive off twice, a second deputy broke one of the car's windows.
McLaughlin then reached in and switched off the car's ignition, undid Garcia's seat belt and removed her from the 2013 Hyundai.
The officers then threw Garcia to the ground and handcuffed her.
'I did not detect the odor of an alcoholic beverage, but Garcia did seem to be very disoriented,' the report said.
'When asked [why] she did not comply with my requests she replied ‘I’m sorry.’'
According to Santa Fe New Mexican, police believed Garcia then 'mumbled something about being diabetic' before the officers realized they should call paramedics who said she was 'suffering from a diabetic emergency'.
Garcia told Koat Action 7 News she believed officers thought she was a drunk driver, but should have known she was diabetic from the insulin pump clipped to her waistband.
She said law enforcers must receive more training to recognize when someone needs medical care.
'I'm surprised I didn't go into a coma in the back of that police car,' she said.
'Most people if their blood sugars are in the 20s are comatose.
'If there's education this wouldn't happen. This wouldn't have happened.'
Santa Fe County sheriff Robert Garcia told Santa Fe New Mexican his office is 'sensitive to the issue' and officers receive training in how to recognize diabetic attacks, but 'in a situation like this, things happen fast'.
He said his office is reviewing incident footage and conducting an internal review in addition to meeting with Revina Garcia and her husband.
'We are looking into it. It’s not something we are just going to blow off and not deal with,' he said.
'We have to refresh our law enforcement personnel on this issue.'
Source:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2370226/Woman-handcuffed-left-ground-police-thought-drunk-driver--dead-diabetic-shock.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490