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NYC man having asthma attack died after EMTs delayed by poor signage: suit

An East Harlem resident who was having an asthma attack died after EMTs were delayed by poor signage at his apartment building, a new lawsuit alleges.

Edwin Rosa Ortiz called 911 on Oct. 11, 2020 when he “suffered a sudden asthma attack while in his home,” according to a Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit from last week.

But when the medics arrived at 1680 Madison Avenue, they were delayed “due to multiple obstructions and lack of directions, signals and instructions,” the filing alleges.

“They could not locate where the apartment was because there was absolutely no signage to find [it],” Ortiz family lawyer John Tolley told The Post.

“By the time they got to him they found him on the balcony passed out, completely unconscious,” Tolley said.

The 57-year-old father of four – who’d lived in the building for 38 years – was taken to the hospital where he fell into a coma and died two days later, the court papers say.

Edwin Rosa Ortiz
Gregory P. Mango

“Because he was forced to wait for medical assistance longer than necessary, [Ortiz] suffered from his asthma attack and fell into a coma that resulted in his death shortly thereafter,” the suit claims.

Ortiz’s daughter – Tabitha Ortiz who is suing the owner and management companies of the building for at least $1.15 million – says when her mom arrived home to the apartment after a family event the night of the attack “it kind of looked like a crime scene.”

And her mom was “worried” because her husband wasn’t home but his phone and wallet were, the 37-year-old daughter told The Post.

The front of 1680 Madison Avenue.
Gregory P. Mango

“She called me and I rushed over,” Tabitha Ortiz said. “I called a lot of the hospitals and [police] precincts and we didn’t really know what happened because he was registered as a John Doe.”

“He was literally in his boxers trying to go out and get some help,” she said. “It was a while before we learned he was actually admitted into the hospital.”

She and her mother “were a wreck” when they got to the hospital and learned Ortiz was in a coma and unlikely to survive.

Tabitha Ortiz inside her dad's building.
Gregory P. Mango

“I’m shaking even talking about it,” the grieving daughter said. “We were crying and praying that he would pull through.”

The suit alleges the owners were negligent in failing to have marked directions in the building.

“With an asthma attack, as you consistently lose oxygen, time is of the essence,” Tolley said. “Too much time had passed to the point that he had lost consciousness before being picked up by EMS… Had there been a quicker response time then he wouldn’t have been in the position that he was when they found him.”

Tabitha Ortiz outside of 1680 Madison Avenue.
Gregory P. Mango

Tabitha Ortiz told The Post that coming up on the two-year anniversary for her dad’s death is “a very hard time for me and my family.”

She said her dad – who was a manager at a communications company – was the rock of her family and best friend to his grandkids, who called him “G-pop” or “Grandpop.”

“[With] his birthday coming up and the holidays coming up and now to have to mourn and remember the tragic day that he passed – it’s very emotional,” she said.

“He was a great man and had an even greater heart who was loved by many and respected by all,” Tabitha Ortiz said, reading from an obituary she wrote at the time.

One of the companies that owned a stake in the building declined to comment while the other owner and management companies didn’t return requests for comment.