SEATTLE (AP) — The city of Seattle will pay $1.86 million to the family of a man who died of a heart attack after a caution note attached to his address delayed medics’ response.
William Yurek, 48, died in his town house in 2021 after his son called 911 and arriving Seattle Fire Department medics initially waited outside for law enforcement before entering, The Seattle Times reported.
The family alleged Yurek was wrongly included on a blacklist of people known to be hostile to police and fire crews. Yurek lived in the unit a couple of years before his death and the previous tenant had been on the outdated list, according to the lawsuit filed last year.
Medics were told to wait for a law enforcement escort, the lawsuit stated. As Yurek’s condition worsened, his then 13-year-old son called 911 again and was told help was on the way, even though medics had already arrived.