The Illinois State Police have come under fire after one of their troopers pulled over a man driving his father to the hospital for a heart attack and ticketed him with a $1,500 speeding citation.
Michael O’Neil was driving his father William to the hospital around 10:30pm on September 27, when they were pulled over by a state trooper who repeatedly questioned whether the 60-year-old man was really having a heart attack.
The trooper kept the father and son at the scene until an ambulance showed up and then proceeded to fine Michael $1,500 as his father
William luckily survived the brush with death and is now telling his story to the Chicago Sun-Times, saying he wants an apology from both the trooper and the police department.
The trooper said that if it was an emergency, an ambulance would have to be called and take his father to the nearest hospital, a different medical center.
‘And I said, ‘Call a f****** ambulance.’ Sorry, but I didn’t know what the timing was here, you know,’ William said.
ISP spokesman Matthew Boerwinkle, said: ‘Mr. O’Neil’s recollection of the events [is] not accurate to what occurred on the officer’s in-car video. The officer’s conduct was proper and within policy during the incident.’
He said that policy ‘strongly discourages officers from escorting civilian vehicles in medical emergencies due to the extreme hazard not only to the escorting officer, but also to the occupants of the escorted vehicle and other motorists.
‘The chances of causing a crash increase significantly during self-transport, because motorists tend to drive erratically and speed excessively during medical emergencies.
‘It would be difficult if not impossible to render effective first aid to a passenger or monitor their medical condition while providing self-transport to a hospital.
‘The citation issued to Mr. Michael O’Neil was marked correctly for the posted speed limit on the day of the incident,’ he added.
‘The circumstances surrounding Mr. [William] O’Neil’s medical condition were unfortunate and understandable to anyone who has had a family member experience the same. We are glad to hear and know that he received medical attention and is doing all right,’ Boerwinkle said.
