FDNY Sued By Man Who Leaped From Ambulance

Posted by: Curt Varone June 19, 2017 2 Comments

A man who leaped out of the back of a moving FDNY ambulance is now suing the city, FDNY and EMS personnel for his injuries.

Yaugeni Kralkin, 54, claims that EMS personnel did not do enough to restrain him last June when he was being transported to the hospital. Kralkin, a long-haul trucker, had family problems and had been drinking heavily. According to the complaint, EMS personnel found him “sitting on the ground, uninjured, with unsteady gait. They needed police assistance to get Kralkin into the back of the ambulance because he was uncooperative.

During the transport Kralkin was somehow able to “unbuckle his straps on the stretcher, open the door of the ambulance and jump out of the moving ambulance . . . [He] landed on the concrete of Richmond Avenue”, sustaining severe injuries.

Kralkin’s attorney, Borislav Chernyy, was quoted by the NY Post as saying:

  • “At least you could have stopped him”
  • “I think it was a poor choice for him to consume that much alcohol, but as human beings we make poor choices.”
  • “They failed to care for him, because he was in no state to have any motor skills or make any decisions.”

The suit was filed in Staten Island Supreme Court naming the city, FDNY, and the EMTs as defendants. More on the story.

About Curt Varone

Curt Varone has over 45 years of fire service experience and 35 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014, 4th ed. 2022) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.
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