Family of Bobby Reyes, teen taken off life support after asthma attack, files lawsuit
(FOX 2) - The family of Bobby Reyes, the 14-year-old who was declared brain dead after an asthma attack last fall and removed from life support against his family's wishes, is filing a lawsuit claiming Bobby's life could have been saved before he ended up in the hospital.
The story of Bobby is a tragic one.
The Monroe County teenager went into cardiac arrest after an asthma attack in September 2019 and was in a coma and on life support. His family tried to get a judge to intervene but ultimately medical professionals declared him brain dead and ended life support the following month.
Now new allegations are coming to light and a lawsuit has been filed against Monroe County and the 911 operator who answered the phone when Bobby's mother called.
"Everyone that keeps us safe has to do their job by the book," says the family's attorney, Jim Rasor - and court documents allege the 911 operator dispatched emergency crews to the wrong location.
"Any opportunity that he had to live was destroyed by the gap in time and this reckless conduct," Rasor said.
Bobby's mother had driven them to the Ash Township Fire Station #2 in hopes of getting help immediately.
"You can hear me on the 911 phone call, 'Why can't you just tell them to come outside?' Why couldn't every firehouseman in our county just look out their window? It would've taken a second. We were outside by ourselves and it's wrong," said Bobby's mother, Sarah Jones.
The attorney representing the county in the lawsuit says no one was at the fire station because Ash Township has a volunteer fire department. He says the building was empty, but Bobby's mother is disputing that claim.
"After all the EMS arrived me and my dad saw a man come from the inside, looked like he was waking up from a nap," Jones said. "I did everything right. I called for help, I took him to the place to get help."
The Reyes family attorney says crucial minutes were wasted because EMS crews were initially sent to the fireman's association instead of the fire station.
The attorney for the county disputes that claim and told FOX 2 an EMT got the call at home and went to the fire station to get his gear and saw Bobby and his mother waiting for help outside. The attorney says despite the 911 operator's error, no time was lost.