SE Oakland News

According to state authorities, a 20-year-old woman, Timesha Beauchamp, was declared dead by a paramedic, even though she was alive in Detroit after the paramedic continuously misled a doctor on the phone about her condition.

The startling discovery of Beauchamp gasping for air happened while her body was being prepared at a funeral home on August 23. It was then that Cole’s Funeral Home called 911, according to The Oakland Press.

Michael Storm in the paramedic who was involved, and a state license suspension has been filed against him. Storm was part of a four-person paramedic team who responded to the 911 call from Beauchamp’s family, saying that Beauchamp, who has cerebral palsy, was having trouble breathing.

The Southfield fire chief, Johnny Menifee, said the situation is currently under investigation and that he feels anguish, but he defended his paramedics and said they followed procedure and found “no signs of life."

Menifee also mentioned that “Lazarus Syndrome” may be an explanation as to why Beauchamp appeared to come back to life after several failed attempts at resuscitation.

State regulators disagree. According to the license suspension that was given from the health department, Storms halted resuscitation six minutes prior to getting permission from the doctor he contacted by phone. "At no point did (Storms) attempt to verify circulation or respiration with a device such as a stethoscope," reported The Oakland Press.

Vital signs and descriptions that were given to the physician were inaccurate. A few minutes later, Storms went into the home, where Beauchamp’s family members told him that Beauchamp was breathing and had a pulse. When Storms placed her on a monitor that showed she was breathing and vital signs were present, he took no further action.

In a second instance, Storms went inside when relatives noticed signs of life appear again. "Both times (Storms) failed to recognize the patient was still alive,” according to The Oakland Press. Storms stated that the signs of life were due to medication the patient had taken.

According to the state, Storms’ story changed when the report was uploaded to the database for the second time the following day.

"I am seeking the truth in what happened. We’re looking at everything here. This is a terrible thing that's happened. This is tragic,” Menifee told The Oakland Press.

The license of another paramedic/firefighter on the scene, Scott Rickard, was also suspended. Storms and Rickard both had a hearing scheduled.

Beauchamp remains in critical condition with only the functioning of her brain stem.

"This appears to be one of the worst cases of gross negligence that I've ever encountered. She wasn't dying or near death. Had they got her to the hospital, none of this would have happened,” said Geoffrey Fieger, the family attorney, according to The Oakland Press.