It was supposed to be a fun Friday night with friends listening to Jen Steger Giamarino’s favorite past-time band, New Kids On The Block, but it wasn’t. Sadly, the night ended in tragedy when 35-year-old Giamarino collapsed just as the opening act came out on stage. Now witnesses and those with her are blaming the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri for their slow response to her untimely death.
The concert was taking place at the Scottrade Center in downtown, and after Giamarino stopped breathing, a woman in the crowd, who was a nurse, came to assist and started giving her CPR. While the nurse was administering CPR in the upper section of the center, another 15 minutes had passed before medical personnel for Scottrade Center reached her. When they arrived, all of the lights were already down as the rapper; Nelly began to perform his opening act. The only light that could be used at that time by the medical personnel was from a cell phone.
Another bystander, Shawn Anderson was close by and remembers watching the medical personnel scramble in the dark to find equipment when they began chest compressions on Giamarino. After that, another 45 minutes had passed before she was finally carried out to receive more help. Anderson stated that more should have been in place rather than having strangers hold cell phones for light in the dark; he says he is now traumatized by what he saw. Another witness saw the medical personnel try to run an intravenous line in Giamarino but lacked the proper equipment as well. Accu Care is the provider of medical care at several St. Louis venues such as the Fox Theater, Busch Stadium and has been working with Scottrade Center since 1994.
Giamarino was recently divorced, and had lost 55 pounds since January due to a healthy weight loss plan, and was happier and healthier than she’s ever been the night she collapsed. According to her mom, Giamarino had also been eating healthy yet took blood pressure medicine recently, although she had just seen her doctor the week before with good results. When Giamarino’s friends arrived at the hospital, one person with them asked if Giamarino was winded from climbing the stairs, and the other said no, she was laughing and joking just before she collapsed.
If you or a loved one were injured due to another’s negligence, the skilled St. Louis personal injury attorneys at Meyerkord & Kurth would like to help you. Please contact us today for a free consultation regarding your potential premises liability case.