PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Portland police say they’re frustrated by a hospital’s response when officers sought help for an ailing man who crashed his car in the hospital parking garage and later died. Portland Adventist Medical Center officials say they were told there had been a car crash and followed their protocol — directing police to call an ambulance that would have the equipment to remove someone from a car.
The Oregon state medical examiner says Birgilio Marin-Fuentes died from heart disease early Thursday.
Sgt. Pete Simpson says nearby officers tried to help the man, starting CPR and running about 125 feet to the emergency room for help. Simpson says police were “told by hospital staff that their policy is not to respond to emergencies in their parking lot.”
Hospital spokeswoman Judy Leach says the hospital has no policy that prohibits treating people outside the building.
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Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com
