WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A West Palm Beach police officer shot in the line of duty on Tuesday was taken to a second hospital for care, according to an official from the city’s police union.
WATCH BELOW: 'It’s hard to be too critical,' ER physician Noah Kauffman tells WPTV
Officer Cristian Caraballo, according to court documents, was taken by another police officer to Good Samaritan Medical Center after he was shot in the lower back. Good Samaritan doesn’t have a Level 1 trauma center, which is where two medical experts said was the best choice of care for people with gun shot wounds.
West Palm Beach Police Department said its officer took the shot officer to the nearest hospital, about 11 minutes away from the scene according to Google Maps. However, the drive to the nearest Level 1 trauma center was an extra four minutes away.
Emergency room physician Noah Kauffman told WPTV it’s difficult to judge, because the officer was okay and released from the hospital the same day. However, the incident does provide a learning experience for the next time an officer is shot.
“It’s hard to be too critical, because imagine if we’re in the circumstance and we have to make the judgement,” Kauffman said. “Now that being said, it would’ve been optimal looking back and it could be a learning point to use this opportunity to say, 'Hey, I’m gonna take the extra four minutes and go to the level one trauma center.’”
The hospital issue comes after WPTV learned the police department was investigating the origin of the bullet that struck the officer and whether it matched the ammunition in the second officer’s gun, also known as a case of friendly fire, or the suspect's.
WATCH BELOW: Origin of bullet that hit West Palm Beach officer under investigation
A spokesperson for the West Palm Beach Police Department said the agency didn’t have a written policy, or trainings, related to where to take an injured officer.
We reached out to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, who told us their policy is to take injured deputies to the nearest trauma hospital. However, the agency acknowledged if the distance is too far, a closer hospital could be more convenient for immediate care and then the officer would transferred by trauma hawk to the nearest trauma hospital.
We also found larger cities like the Philadelphia Police Department also specify finding a trauma center.
“Persons suffering from a serious penetrating wound (e.g., gunshot, stab wound and similar injuries of the head, neck, chest, abdomen, and groin) shall be transported to the nearest accredited trauma center,” the policy said. “Transportation of such cases will not be delayed to await the arrival of Fire Department paramedics.”
WATCH BELOW: Man accused of shooting officer turns himself in
Michelle Glower, an emergency room nurse and part-time professor at the University of Wisconsin, told WPTV an overwhelming majority of gun shot wound victims need care at a Level 1 trauma center. She said these hospitals have a variety or resources for people to recover from injuries.
“We’re talking time here and time is brain,” Glower said. “We need to get this patient whose been shot, whether it’s the chest or the back, into the operating room as fast as possible.”
She said other hospitals can perform care, such as stabilizing a patient. However, she said, they will often have to transfer patients to a different hospital with a proper trauma center.
Kauffman told WPTV that the level of care at smaller hospitals is sometimes efficient for various injuries and the difference can seem more academic. However, he said the amount of resources at Level 1 trauma centers give patients the highest chance of survival.
“Every single case is different, but if it’s only a four minute drive, absolutely, you’d wanna be at a Level 1 trauma center, because then you have the highest chance of survival,” Kauffman said. “Although all doctors are fairly skilled at trauma in the emergency department, just the time that it takes to transfer the resources, the experience of the staff, it makes a difference.”
Read more of WPTV's related stories below:
West Palm Beach
Police: Origin of bullet that hit West Palm Beach officer under investigation
West Palm Beach
