St. Louis on the Air鈥檚 Legal Roundtable convened Friday to address the biggest legal developments in the region. Hosted by Sarah Fenske, the discussion touched on a recent lawsuit targeting St. Louis鈥� ailing 911 system.
The lawsuit was filed July 11 by the widow of a 36-year-old father who accidentally shot himself and died of blood loss while waiting for 911 to respond. The wrongful death claim seeks unspecified damage from the city.
Attorney Sarah Swatosh, who specializes in labor and employment law, believes the woman has a strong case. For years, St. Louis has publicly struggled to stabilize its emergency response system. On July 1, in a separate incident, a 33-year-old woman was fatally crushed by a tree that fell on her car.
"The city has accepted the duty to run this program, and they're not running it," Swatosh said. "I think there is liability here. 鈥� I think there is malfeasance here. I think there is negligence here."
Swatosh was joined by attorneys Mark Smith, a former associate vice chancellor and dean at Washington University, and Eric Banks, a former city counselor for the City of St. Louis. Along with St. Louis鈥� 911 woes, they discussed the cases of issued to a former guidance counselor, a major ruling in and more.
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