LAWSUITS NEWS & LEGAL INFORMATION
Emergency Interpreter
New Braunfels, TX: (Apr-02-08) Maria Salinas, a deaf woman who uses American Sign Language to communicate and lacks proficiency in written or spoken English, brought a lawsuit against the city of New Braunfels, alleging that the city failed to provide her with an interpreter in a timely manner during a 911 emergency. The suit claimed that Salinas made the 911 call on Sept. 23, 2004, after she came home from work and found her fiancé, Ed Spencer, lying motionless on her couch and wasn't able to wake him.
The call was made by a neighbor, who requested assistance and asked police for the services of a qualified ASL interpreter. Salinas claimed that the police knew from the 911 call that she was deaf and needed interpreter services, but failed to locate an interpreter and failed to assign this task to another city employee. Her legal counsel stated that as a result of this negligence, the woman suffered emotional distress because she didn't know what functions the police were performing and remained unsure about her fiancé's prognosis because of the language barrier.
As part of a settlement reached, the city agreed to award Salinas $75,000 in damages, as well as institute a new policy to assist the deaf during emergency situations. [HERALD-ZEITUNG: DEAF WOMAN AWARDED $75,000 IN SUIT]
Published on Apr-4-08
The call was made by a neighbor, who requested assistance and asked police for the services of a qualified ASL interpreter. Salinas claimed that the police knew from the 911 call that she was deaf and needed interpreter services, but failed to locate an interpreter and failed to assign this task to another city employee. Her legal counsel stated that as a result of this negligence, the woman suffered emotional distress because she didn't know what functions the police were performing and remained unsure about her fiancé's prognosis because of the language barrier.
As part of a settlement reached, the city agreed to award Salinas $75,000 in damages, as well as institute a new policy to assist the deaf during emergency situations. [
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