A Columbus Fire Division paramedic involved in the death of a woman and a $1.2 million city settlement with her family is now under investigation for letting his paramedic certification lapse.
James Amick was one of two paramedics who was dispatched in January 2011 to help Sonia Bray. Bray was having chest pains and trouble breathing, vomited and began turning blue while she was getting an MRI. About 25 minutes after paramedics arrived, after witnesses said they did little to help Bray, they loaded her into their ambulance, where she lost consciousness and went into cardiac arrest.
She died a few days later. Tonight, the Columbus City Council is expected to approve spending $1.2 million in taxpayer money to settle her family’s wrongful death lawsuit.
Meanwhile, records kept by the Ohio Emergency Medical Services show that Amick let his paramedic certification expire three times in the past 10 years.
Amick, 66, a firefighter and paramedic since 1996, was properly certified at the time of Bray’s death. He could not be reached for comment.