Peekskill Paramedic disputes man on dad's death

[Guest]

Paramedic disputes man on dad's death

By Terence Corcoran • tcorcora@lohud.com • November 19, 2009

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PEEKSKILL — A man who died after his son left him in a sweltering car while he was at work last year may have been dead longer than the two hours that his son told police he’d left him.

Paramedic Steve Colt estimated Wednesday that Joseph Pressman had been dead four hours when he examined his body around 4 p.m. July 7, 2008.

http://www.lohud.com/article/2009911190378

[Guest paramedico987]

I'm not sure why the media is quoting a medic on this matter rather than the M.E. I know I'd be uncomfortable providing an estimated time of death unless the figure was going to in units such as weeks or years...

[INIT915 1,119]

I'm not sure why the media is quoting a medic on this matter rather than the M.E. I know I'd be uncomfortable providing an estimated time of death unless the figure was going to in units such as weeks or years...

My thoughts exactly. I found it very strange the ADA relied on that testimony.

[NWFDMedic 58]

My thoughts exactly. I found it very strange the ADA relied on that testimony.

I'm more surprised that the defense attorney didn't object to the testimony as the paramedic is not qualified to make the statements he did. Rigor mortis has been documented to begin within a half hour of death of some patients and in fact, the paramedic incorrectly stated that rigor mortis tends to set in quicker in cold weather. Rigor actually sets in quicker in warm environments, so even if he was assuming the incorrect "3 hours" for the onset of rigor, the sweltering temperatures would have accelerated the rate of onset and progress of rigor.

The last time I went to court for a case, the defense attorney asked with pretty much every question how I was qualified to make a statement and I had to explain my qualification. It seems the attorney in this case was asleep at the switch.

[Goose 188]

Very odd...but i am sure that the ME did, in fact, testify.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

The reporter used a quote that best impacted their story. I for one was taken back that a colleague would make such a statement as I for sure was never taught about the biological and physiological processes of death to a level that I would consider to make me even confident in making a statement lone less competent or even "expert." What makes anyone think that the ADA was relying on this testimony? The ME did in face testify its right in the article as well. Not to mention that the colleague might not have even been prompted to make such a statement, nor do we know if the defense attorney asked that question or objected to it being it doesn't mention it. So some of you are speculating on that point. Then again the DA handling the case may have questioned him on the point and he did have a level of knowledge that they could show in court. There are numerous things...but as for me..I would not have been comfortable making such a statement.

[SageVigiles 1,194]

This leads me to an interesting question, is there a way that a Paramedic can testify as an "expert witness" in the same way that a Fire Investigator can? Or do we just rely on doctors to do that?

[ny10570 745]

You can be an expert in anything you've observed and treatments you've provided. In one case I had to describe the symptoms of hypoglycemia and our protocol for treatment. Then I had to explain why my patient didn't meet that protocol and wasn't treated for the AMS he was claiming.