CHAPEL HILL -- The family of a Chapel Hill High School football player who died alone at home in 2008 hours after being evaluated by a paramedic has filed a lawsuit alleging negligence in the teenager's death.
In the lawsuit, the family of Atlas Fraley blames paramedic James Griffin, Orange County and Orange County Emergency Services for not showing proper care that could have prevented the 17-year-old from dying. Griffin, who was reprimanded by the county and later resigned his job, had responded to a 911 call from Fraley hours before he died.
"Atlas was only 17 years old when he called 911 desperately trying to get the emergency medical care that he needed," Donald Strickland, the attorney for the Fraley family, said on Saturday. "He got an EMS worker to his house, but he received no medical care and was left home alone to die alone."
Fraley called 911 on Aug. 12, 2008, complaining of dehydration and cramping. He had played in a scrimmage game that morning.
Griffin spent 22 minutes with Fraley, according to county EMS records, and left the teenager with water and Gatorade to drink. His parents, David and Malinda Fraley, arrived home and found him dead.
An autopsy report suggested Fraley's dehydration and cramping may have led to a fatal heart attack, though the autopsy could provide no definitive explanation for his death.
Dr. Jane Brice, the Orange County EMS medical director, revoked Griffin's paramedic privileges 10 days after Fraley's death. Griffin resigned days later under threat of termination.
Efforts to reach Griffin were unsuccessful and Brice did not return a phone call today.
The state Office of Emergency Medical Services decided not to revoke Griffin's license. State EMS officials found Griffin violated some Orange County protocols in his response to Fraley but had not acted incompetently under state law.
Orange County's internal investigation found Griffin failed to:
* Take Fraley's vital signs while he was both sitting and standing.
* Take his temperature.
* Transport him for hyperthermia treatment.
* Tell him how soon to see a doctor.
* Contact his parents.
* Seek a doctor's opinion.
* Completely document his examination.
The county's internal investigation makes up much of the basis of the lawsuit that was filed last month in Orange County Superior Court.
Strickland said the goal of the lawsuit is to seek justice for the family and to "make what happened to Atlas public in an effort to prevent a similar tragedy from happening to someone else's child."
The lawsuit said Griffin contends he tried to call Fraley's parents while he was on scene. But the lawsuit said there was no record of calls that Griffin said he made to Fraley's father's cell phone or his mother's office number.
"It is hard to imagine a more devastating tragedy for parents than to find their child dead at home," he said, "but then to find out that the child had called 911 for emergency medical care and that a paramedic came to their home but provided no medical care and then did not even get in touch with them when he had their phone numbers, before leaving their child home alone, makes the tragedy even worse."
Staff writer Jesse James DeConto contributed to this report.
