LEBANON, Va. – An emergency medical technician faces an involuntary manslaughter charge in the death of a co-worker who police said succumbed after being zapped with a cardiac defibrillator.
Joshua Martin, 24, of Bristol Virginia shocked fellow EMT Courtney Hilton, 23, of Lebanon on June 1, authorities said.
Hilton was taken to the Russell County Medical Center and transferred to Bristol Regional Medical Center in Tennessee, where she died three days later.
Martin was with Hilton at the emergency room, where police questioned him. He was arrested when Hilton died.
Police released few details about how the incident occurred.
Martin and Hilton worked for Highlands Ambulance Service. A woman who answered the phone there Wednesday said no one was ready to make a statement.
It’s uncommon for people with normal heartbeats to die after being shocked with a defibrillator, said Dr. Bruce Gibbon, an emergency room doctor at Bristol Regional.
Someone with a normal heart rhythm might feel a tingling sensation and some pain but usually would not suffer any ill effects, he said.
"Normally, you would yell and curse but your heart would beat normally," he said. "It seems she was unfortunate."
Defibrillators send a large electric shock to the heart to restart it.
"If you get a shock at the wrong time, your heart can go into ventricular fibrillation," Gibbon said.
In such cases, the heart quivers and does a poor job pumping blood through the body.
After the heart finishes pumping, it takes half a second before it receives another signal to restart the process, Gibbon said. The heart needs that half a second to regenerate the muscle’s electrical potential, he said.
"The heart can’t beat effectively until that happens, and the heart won’t refill with blood," he said.
Town Police Chief Mark Mitchell said Wednesday he still was awaiting an autopsy report.
Martin was free after posting a $25,000 secured bond. He has an arraignment hearing set for Tuesday in Russell County General District Court.
Martin faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted as charged.
Funeral services for Hilton were held Wednesday. Graveside services will be held today at 11 a.m. at Holston View Cemetery in Gate City.
