Last week, the California Supreme Court ruled in favor of
Target after a family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the retail giant,
alleging that their failure to have an AED on the premises was in violation of
state law.
Mary Ann Verdugo, 49, was shopping at a Target store in Pico
Rivera, CA when she suffered a sudden heart attack. Though paramedics were called, they were
unable to revive Verdugo upon their arrival.
Had an AED been available, there would still have been no guarantee
that Verdugo would have survived.
But one thing’s for sure. She would have had a MUCH better chance than
the one she actually had.
Look, here’s the bottom line: AED’s save lives. It’s that
simple. It’s something we’ve discussed at length on the AEDs Today blog, and
something we will continue to discuss.
And let’s be clear. It’s not like an AED is some super-expensive
piece of equipment. In fact, as Verdugo’s family pointed out during the course
of the lawsuit, Target actually SELLS AEDS!
AEDs are something that needs to be a part of every modern
day first aid kit, especially for a company as large as Target that caters to
such a large volume of customers.
They require minimal training to use, are almost fully
automated, and more often than not are the difference between life and death.
We understand that Target was and is not legally obligated
to have an AED on their premises, and if they’d rather not have one for
whatever reason, that’s their business.
But we have to ask: Why would you want to deprive your
company of the chance to save the life of one your customers when their life is
in mortal danger?
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