‘They Could Have Saved Her Life’: Miami First Responders Allegedly Left Dying Woman on Kitchen Floor to Respond to Another Call, Leaving Family Devastated
A 52-year-old South Florida woman is dead after Miami-Dade County paramedics allegedly abandoned her to respond to another call while she was suffering severe health symptoms, according to reports.
Tasheba Anderson died less than two hours after being left behind on her kitchen floor, sparking an internal investigation into the actions of the first responders, whom family members accused of starting treatment but then packing up and leaving without providing real care.
“They could have saved her life,” said Audrey Bend, Anderson’s sister, according to CBS News. They left her. She was saying, ‘Why won’t they help me?’”
Anderson died on Jan. 26 after members of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue left her to respond to a nearby house fire, leaving her family in shock as they witnessed her final moments of suffering.
It’s unclear whether the investigation will examine race as a factor, as Anderson was Black. The racial makeup of the emergency medical personnel was not disclosed.
It’s also unclear whether the emergency responders adhered to proper protocols when they left Anderson despite her apparent medical distress.
So far, there is no indication of an independent probe to understand why the matter wasn’t treated with the utmost urgency, especially since Anderson had called 911 for help and had a long history of health problems.
Six months after undergoing gastric bypass surgery, Anderson began experiencing severe stomach pain, which had sent her to the hospital multiple times, Bend said. Two weeks ago, the pain struck again.
A Miami-Dade Fire Rescue team responded to the scene, treating Anderson in the kitchen of her Opa-locka home, according to her family. However, the woman’s medical emergency soon took an unexpected turn.
“They had wrapped a sheet around her neck, and then, they got a call for a fire up the street. And they left her here and said they would be back,” Bend told CBS affiliate WFOR.
Known for her outspokenness, Anderson pleaded for the medics to stay with her as she lay on the floor.
“She was saying, ‘Why won’t they help me? Why nobody won’t help me? Why they just leave me like that? Why they won’t help me?’” Bend recounted.
Moments later, Anderson lost consciousness, Bend said. When the medical crew returned, frustrations boiled over as Bend and other family members confronted them.
According to Bend, the paramedics seemed annoyed with the family’s repeated questions about why they had left Anderson behind.
“They were mad because [my brother and cousin] kept asking them, ‘Why did y’all leave?’” Bend said. “My cousin had passed them [Anderson’s] ID, but the firefighter — she threw it on the ground.”
Anderson was eventually taken to Jackson North Medical Center in North Miami Beach, where she died, leaving behind a 21-year-old son.
“I’ve never heard this in my life, and I’m 69 years old,” Bend said. “I’ve never heard of a firefighter leaving someone. This is what we pay you for, to protect us.”
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue issued a statement confirming that an investigation is underway.
“MDFR is conducting an internal investigation and we are currently unable to provide further details at this time.”
So far, the family has not announced plans to pursue legal action; instead, they are focusing on the incredible loss.
Since laying Anderson to rest, her family has yet to unpack the luggage and duffel bag she brought home from her most recent hospital stay. They remain convinced that the firefighters should have done more to save her life.
“I feel like something could have worked out if they just did their job,” Bend said. “Not just go and leave her and say, ‘I’ll be back.’ What fire rescue does that?”