Following improperly restraining a 35-year-old patient in an ambulance, two emergency medical service workers in Illinois have been charged with first-degree murder.
In a press conference Tuesday, Sangamon County State’s Attorney Dan Wright said LifeStar EMS workers Peggy Finley, 44, and Peter Cadigan, 50, were charged in the death of 35-year-old Earl L. Moore Jr.
Moore was found to be suffering from hallucinations by police at his residence. They immediately called EMS for medical attention.
During Moore’s transport in an ambulance, Finley and Cadigan allegedly placed him face-down on a paramedic stretcher and incorrectly tied him down with a medical strap across his back and lower body.
“In the aftermath of the arrival of emergency medical services, Earl Moore Jr. was killed by individuals who were called to provide emergency medical care by the police,” Wright said.
According to Moore’s autopsy, he died of “compressional and positional asphyxia due to tightened straps across his back.”
It should have been obvious to the pair from their training and experience that positioning a patient in such a way could lead to significant bodily harm or death.
Both Finley and Cadigan were booked into the Sangamon County Jail on a $1 million bond. They could face 20-60 years in prison if convicted.