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By GINGER ADAMS OTIS
Last Updated: 2:54 PM, December 20, 2009
Posted: 2:29 AM, December 20, 2009
A pregnant Brooklyn woman suffering a fatal seizure in a coffee shop in the shadow of FDNY Headquarters was ignored by two callous city medics who continued to buy their breakfast, eyewitnesses told The Post.
"The EMTs just said we had to call 911. They got their bagels and left," said a disgusted worker.
Frantic employees at the Au Bon Pain at 1 Metrotech Center approached the FDNY medics at 9 a.m. on Dec. 9, shortly after colleague Eutisha Revee Rennix, 25, began to complain of shortness of breath and intense stomach pains. Workers immediately dialed 911.
Helayne Seidman
NO HELP: Witnesses say that as Eutisha Revee Rennix (above) lay dying at a Brooklyn Au Bon Pain 600 feet from FDNY headquarters, two EMTs on break refused to assist her, leaving son Jahleel, 3, motherless.
"People were calling out saying, 'She's turning blue! She's pregnant!' " said the witness.
But the EMTs appeared unfazed.
"I remember them saying they couldn't do anything because they were on their break," another worker said. "We started screaming and cursing at them."
Rennix fell in a heap and began foaming at the nose and mouth in the back room.
That sent a manager rushing to the front to again ask someone in the Metrotech coffee shop to help.
This time, two good Samaritans in blue FDNY sweaters ran to the back office. One called 911 from his cellphone while the other tried to help keep Rennix still.
"That was when the manager ran out to try and get help from across the plaza," said a worker who was there. "Then the ambulance finally came, but it was too late."
The Fire Department, which runs the city's Emergency Medical Service, is now investigating the incident, and has placed the two EMTs on paid but restricted duty, barred from providing patient care.
"All of our members take an oath to assist others in need of emergency medical aid. They have a duty to act when called," said FDNY spokesman Steve Ritea.
Ironically, the EMS emergency dispatch center that fields 911 calls is located in the same building as Au Bon Pain -- just floors above where Rennix collapsed.
And the FDNY headquarters is about 600 feet away within the same Metrotech complex. In fact, the coffee shop is regularly filled with FDNY and EMS personnel and top brass.
The first ambulance on the scene was a private hospital crew that arrived 11 minutes after the initial 911 call.
But that crew's actions are also being investigated, the FDNY confirmed. Witnesses said the EMTs didn't have one of the equipment bags needed to administer aid.
"I couldn't believe it," said an eyewitness. "The whole thing was like a bad joke."
Rennix, a mother of a 3-year-old son, Jahleel, was rushed to Long Island College Hospital a mile away in cardiac arrest at approximately 9:48 a.m. She was pronounced dead at 10:17, police records show.
The 6-month-old fetus -- a girl posthumously named Jahniya Renne Woodson -- outlived her young mother by two hours and 10 minutes, but was born too premature to survive, said distraught grandmother Cynthia Rennix.
Rennix and her baby were buried at Canarsie Cemetery Friday, said twin brother Eudane Rennix, who flew home for the funeral on emergency leave from his second GI tour in Iraq.
His vivacious and fun-loving sister had recently developed some asthma problems but was otherwise the picture of health, family members said.
EMS-union head Pat Bahnken said the allegations against the EMTs are being taken seriously.
"Such an isolated incident in no way reflects the professionalism our members exhibit every day. But, if a full investigation shows the allegations to be true, we expect these people to be punished to the fullest extent," he said.
Additional reporting by Douglas Montero
gotis@nypost.com
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/..._mom_die_mrj8Jv8kjmS0Z3FNO4DmiL#ixzz0aGfqhTQm
Last Updated: 2:54 PM, December 20, 2009
Posted: 2:29 AM, December 20, 2009
A pregnant Brooklyn woman suffering a fatal seizure in a coffee shop in the shadow of FDNY Headquarters was ignored by two callous city medics who continued to buy their breakfast, eyewitnesses told The Post.
"The EMTs just said we had to call 911. They got their bagels and left," said a disgusted worker.
Frantic employees at the Au Bon Pain at 1 Metrotech Center approached the FDNY medics at 9 a.m. on Dec. 9, shortly after colleague Eutisha Revee Rennix, 25, began to complain of shortness of breath and intense stomach pains. Workers immediately dialed 911.
Helayne Seidman
NO HELP: Witnesses say that as Eutisha Revee Rennix (above) lay dying at a Brooklyn Au Bon Pain 600 feet from FDNY headquarters, two EMTs on break refused to assist her, leaving son Jahleel, 3, motherless.
"People were calling out saying, 'She's turning blue! She's pregnant!' " said the witness.
But the EMTs appeared unfazed.
"I remember them saying they couldn't do anything because they were on their break," another worker said. "We started screaming and cursing at them."
Rennix fell in a heap and began foaming at the nose and mouth in the back room.
That sent a manager rushing to the front to again ask someone in the Metrotech coffee shop to help.
This time, two good Samaritans in blue FDNY sweaters ran to the back office. One called 911 from his cellphone while the other tried to help keep Rennix still.
"That was when the manager ran out to try and get help from across the plaza," said a worker who was there. "Then the ambulance finally came, but it was too late."
The Fire Department, which runs the city's Emergency Medical Service, is now investigating the incident, and has placed the two EMTs on paid but restricted duty, barred from providing patient care.
"All of our members take an oath to assist others in need of emergency medical aid. They have a duty to act when called," said FDNY spokesman Steve Ritea.
Ironically, the EMS emergency dispatch center that fields 911 calls is located in the same building as Au Bon Pain -- just floors above where Rennix collapsed.
And the FDNY headquarters is about 600 feet away within the same Metrotech complex. In fact, the coffee shop is regularly filled with FDNY and EMS personnel and top brass.
The first ambulance on the scene was a private hospital crew that arrived 11 minutes after the initial 911 call.
But that crew's actions are also being investigated, the FDNY confirmed. Witnesses said the EMTs didn't have one of the equipment bags needed to administer aid.
"I couldn't believe it," said an eyewitness. "The whole thing was like a bad joke."
Rennix, a mother of a 3-year-old son, Jahleel, was rushed to Long Island College Hospital a mile away in cardiac arrest at approximately 9:48 a.m. She was pronounced dead at 10:17, police records show.
The 6-month-old fetus -- a girl posthumously named Jahniya Renne Woodson -- outlived her young mother by two hours and 10 minutes, but was born too premature to survive, said distraught grandmother Cynthia Rennix.
Rennix and her baby were buried at Canarsie Cemetery Friday, said twin brother Eudane Rennix, who flew home for the funeral on emergency leave from his second GI tour in Iraq.
His vivacious and fun-loving sister had recently developed some asthma problems but was otherwise the picture of health, family members said.
EMS-union head Pat Bahnken said the allegations against the EMTs are being taken seriously.
"Such an isolated incident in no way reflects the professionalism our members exhibit every day. But, if a full investigation shows the allegations to be true, we expect these people to be punished to the fullest extent," he said.
Additional reporting by Douglas Montero
gotis@nypost.com
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/..._mom_die_mrj8Jv8kjmS0Z3FNO4DmiL#ixzz0aGfqhTQm
