MENTOR, Ohio (12 July 2008) — A Mentor firefighter/paramedic is suing the city, claiming his deputy chief refused to let him be transported to a hospital after he was injured at work. Charles Takacs, who also is a rescue scuba diver and the fire department's union president, was called out to Headlands Park on July 11, 2007, to help search for a missing swimmer. Armed with his scuba gear, Takacs entered Lake Erie. While he held onto a tow line, a wave unexpectedly forced him to shore. Other firefighters treated him at the scene for a toe fracture, and he was placed into an ambulance to be taken to the nearest hospital. However, Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Talcott ordered the ambulance attendants to remove Takacs from the ambulance and not to transport him anywhere, saying another squad would be arriving to assist, according to a lawsuit filed this week in Lake County Common Pleas Court by attorney Jaye Schlachet. "Plaintiff waited and no transport arrived," Schlachet stated in the suit. "The paramedic or EMT asked Deputy Chief Talcott for permission to transport plaintiff and permission was denied." The other facts are as follows, according to the suit: Another deputy chief, Robert Searles, then arrived to say Takacs would be transported soon. After a lengthy delay, Takacs was taken to LakeWest Hospital in Willoughby and was treated for a blood clot - which required a long hospital stay. Takacs is claiming the blood clot directly led to a permanent injury and was caused by the delayed treatment. He is seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages for his medical bills, lost time from work and "pain and suffering." Schlachet is accusing Takacs' superiors of knowing he suffered an injury that required immediate medical attention, but intentionally refusing to get him the proper care. | | Mentor Fire Chief Richard Harvey said he could not comment because he had not yet seen the suit. Takacs, who had the day off of work, has an unlisted phone number and was not available for comment. He is the third Mentor firefighter to file legal action against the department this year. In March, fire Lts. Scott Shannon and Ronald Zak asked the Ohio Supreme Court to remove Battalion Chief Kevin Edmond from his post. Shannon and Zak are claiming Edmond was not validly elected to his new position. That case is pending. The Takacs case has been assigned to Judge Richard L. Collins Jr. |
