East Texas Medical Center found negligent

Troup, TX:

Crystal Delaune died on August 19, 2012 after jumping from a moving ETMC ambulance and landing in the middle of the highway.  (Source: Tyler Paper, August 28, 2012) The Cherokee County Sheriff Department was contacted after Delaune began showing signs of delusion and need of a medical mental evaluation; the health officer dispatched to the scene requested her transport to Mother Frances in Jacksonville. Despite her combative state, Delaune was unrestrained on her stretcher and exited through the rear door of the vehicle while in route to the hospital. (Source: CBS 19) The ambulance was traveling over 70 MPH.

(Courtesy: Tyler Paper)

Subsequently, the Delaune family sued the Tyler based EMS in Smith County and in 2015 won a wrongful death settlement. Local media did not report their local EMS services were found negligent and ordered to pay restitution. The story was buried and only reported on online appellate court docket logs and sparingly in the Tyler Paper.

The East Texas Medical Center appealed the ruling in the Texas Supreme Court and were denied in June 2017 (Source: txcourts.gov) Lawyers for ETMC have requested a rehearing. Local media did not report this either.


16-0034 East Texas Medical Center  v. Jody Delaune as Personal Representative of the Estate of Crystal Delaune

If doesn't fit the Cherokee County narrative, then the hometown newspapers don't report on it, especially when they are related to EMS drivers. However, neighboring Smith County jurors are astute enough to know that small town EMS operators are capable of securing their passengers and driving under the speed of bullet trains when transporting unruly mental patients. And keeping the ambulance doors locked from the outside.



In April 2017, Moody's downgraded ETMC Regional Healthcare System's credit grade to speculative. The Justice Department is currently bringing bribery charges against the ETMC directors and their Tulsa based ambulance services. (Source: Tulsa World) ETMC and its EMS subsidiary EMSA are accused of a $20 million kick-back scheme that spanned 15 years and included a slush fund for Oklahoma officials who offered lucrative public contracts. EMSA bills Medicare and Medicaid millions of dollars a year.

A federal jury trial in the Eastern District is expected to begin in 2018. (Source: Tyler Paper) Again, don't expect up to date news reporting on one of the largest advertisers and employers in East Texas.