Paramedic injected man with a fatal dose of paralytic instead of a shot of ketamine: DA

Sioux City Fire Rescue vehicles (YouTube/Sioux City Fire Rescue).

Sioux City Fire Rescue vehicles (YouTube/Sioux City Fire Rescue).

A now-former Iowa paramedic is facing charges after allegedly giving a man in need the wrong medication — and then failing to act quickly enough to save him.

Deanna Fay LaMere, 46, who worked as a paramedic with Sioux City Fire Rescue, is accused of injecting James Foster Jr., 26, with a drug called rocuronium — which causes paralysis — instead of ketamine. According to local NBC affiliate KTIV, LaMere was among those who responded on Aug. 18, 2023, to a call for medical assistance and found Foster in distress.

First responders reportedly said that they couldn’t get Foster onto a cot to take him to a hospital because he wouldn’t calm down, KTIV reported, citing court records. That’s when LaMere, who was allegedly the paramedic in charge and the only person on scene qualified to administer medication, made the decision to administer a dose of ketamine to help Foster calm down.

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