By Aparna Sekhargsn
East Valley Tribune
GILBERT, Ariz. 鈥� Jacqueline Aschieri, a 61-year-old Gilbert resident, was in reasonably good health until Feb. 27.
That evening, after complaining of a debilitating headache, Aschieri was admitted to a Gilbert hospital, where she died two days later.
The events that went down in those 48 hours before her death prompted her daughters, Amanda Morris and Alicia Glaus, have each filed $5 million wrongful death claims against the town and four Gilbert Fire and Rescue Department employees.
Although the two women鈥檚 lawyer, Brigham A. Cluff of Phoenix-based Cluff Injury Lawyers, did not respond to a request for comment, he details the alleged events in a claim filed Aug. 21 and blames the conduct of two EMTs and two paramedics for Aschieri鈥檚 death, saying they minimized her complaints until it was too late.
A claim is a required precursor to a lawsuit and a governmental entity has 60 days to respond before it is considered denied.
鈥淭he Town of Gilbert extends its deepest sympathies to the family of Jacqueline Aschieri. The loss of a loved one is an unimaginable tragedy, and our thoughts are with Amanda Morris, Alicia Glaus, and their entire family,鈥� Gilbert Town spokeswoman Jennifer Harrison said, in a statement to GSN.
She also said that the town is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the allegations and that Gilbert has not previously received any similar claims about the Fire and Rescue Department.
鈥淭he Gilbert Fire and Rescue Department is committed to providing the highest standard of care and support to the community and continually reviews and updates its procedures to ensure the safety and well-being of all residents,鈥� Harrison said.
According to the claim, Aschieri was a cancer survivor, having been in remission for five years. She also had hypertension.
鈥淒espite her well-managed hypertension, Jacqueline began to experience the worst headache of her life, along with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and a dangerously high blood pressure reading of 220/112,鈥� Cluff writes about the Feb. 27 medical emergency.
Fearing for her health, Aschieri called Morris, who in turn called 911 after she saw her mother鈥檚 state.
Two Gilbert paramedics and two EMTs, arrived by 7:28 pm, on a 鈥渇ire 鈥渁pparatus vehicle,鈥� which cannot transport patients, the claim states.
鈥淭he paramedics remained at Jacqueline鈥檚 home for approximately 16 minutes,鈥� Cluff wrote, adding they recorded blood pressure readings of 207/102 and 209/102 during that time as well as Mean Arterial Pressure readings of 137 and 138.
鈥淛acqueline鈥檚 MAP readings should have set off alarms in the minds of the paramedics, as they signified a dangerously high level of arterial pressure, putting her at serious risk for life-threatening conditions such as stroke, kidney failure and heart failure,鈥� the claim states.
Morris, who was present during the visit, said that the paramedics downplayed the seriousness of the situation and did not convince her mother to go to the hospital, according to the claim.
Even after Morris told the paramedics about her concerns of her mother having a stroke, it continues, the paramedics did not call for an ambulance, call the police for assistance or contact a physician to talk to her mother.
鈥淭he standard of care required that the paramedics do more to impress upon Jacqueline the urgency of the condition,鈥� Cluff alleges.
After the paramedics left, Glaus arrived and was also shocked at the lack of action by the emergency team, the claim states.
Both the sisters then spent over an hour convincing their mother to go to a hospital and finally succeeded in transporting her themselves to Banner Gateway Hospital in Mesa, arriving there by 9:16 p.m.
Yet, the damage was already done, according to the claim. Aschieri was already experiencing more severe conditions when she arrived.
鈥淲hen Jacqueline arrived at the hospital, she was experiencing altered mental status,鈥� the claim states.
鈥淭he cause of death was brain edema secondary to subarachnoid hemorrhage and anterior communicating artery aneurysm rupture,鈥� Cluff continues.
He noted that such a hemorrhage can cause a severe headache known as a thunderclap headache, which is due to a sudden increase in intracranial pressure.
Cluff explains that he is requesting compensation on behalf of his clients for the paramedics鈥� alleged negligence and from the town for their negligence in hiring and training their employees.
In individual claims filed on behalf of Morris and Glaus, Cluff recounts the sisters鈥� relationship with their mother and how each of them has been affected by her death.
鈥淛acqueline played a significant role in shaping Amanda鈥檚 personal and professional life,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淭he sudden loss of her mother has forever changed Amanda鈥檚 life.鈥�
Glaus shared a similar close relationship with their mother, Cluff says, writing, 鈥淎schieri played a dual role in her life as both mother and father since Alicia was 17.鈥�
According to Cluff, Glaus is especially affected by her mother鈥檚 death due to the closeness they shared after losing her father.
(c)2024 East Valley Tribune (Mesa, Ariz.)
Visit East Valley Tribune (Mesa, Ariz.) at www.eastvalleytribune.com
Distributed by