EMS couldn’t enter the building of a woman in medical distress. After her death, her son is suing for answers.
Geneva Mackrides, 74, died after an EMS crew was unable to enter the Anthony Wayne II senior housing apartment complex in South Philly and turned around, the complaint says.
Two days before Christmas 2023, Ronald Scott woke up to a son’s nightmare.
His mother, Geneva Mackrides, 74, had pushed her Life Alert button for a cardiac emergency at 3 a.m., dispatching first responders. But when Scott woke up around 7 a.m., he could see through Ring cameras in his mother’s apartment that she was lying on the floor unresponsive.
After Mackrides, alone in her home, collapsed before she could let a Philadelphia EMS crew into the Anthony Wayne II Senior Housing complex in South Philadelphia, the medics were unable to enter and allegedly turned around.
Scott called Life Alert and asked that another ambulance be dispatched. He drove from his New Jersey home to South Philly, but by the time he arrived, his mother had been pronounced dead.
Scott filed a lawsuit Thursday in Common Pleas Court against the City of Philadelphia, as well as Altman Management Co. and Elon Group Ltd., related companies that manage and own the building. The complaint accuses the city and the businesses of negligence leading to Mackrides’ wrongful death, and seeks damages.
The city declined to comment. Altman Group, which owns Altman Management and Elon, did not respond to a request for comment.
“If EMS could have gained entry, there’s a possibility that my mother could still be here, if given a chance,” Scott said. “But she never had a chance.”
Emeka Igwe, the attorney representing Scott, said that he attempted to learn more about the incident from the city for over a year. For example, the family wants to know if any of the EMS personnel were disciplined. The lawsuit, he hopes, can shed more light on what happened in those early morning hours in which first responders allegedly turned around.
“There is no attempt to forcibly enter the residence. There is no attempt to contact the Philadelphia Fire Department to get in. There is no attempt to contact police,” Igwe said. “They simply leave.”
Anthony Wayne II Senior Housing is a 46-unit development for residents 55 and older at 28th and Morris Streets, according to Altman’s website. The lawsuit alleges that police told Scott about past instances in which emergency responders had difficulty entering the property.
“Philadelphia Police had notified Defendant Altman that their inability to access residents of their property constituted a hazard that jeopardized the health and safety of all the residents including Plaintiff Decedent,” the complaint says.
Mackrides was a churchgoing woman who also enjoyed an outing to the casino, Scott said. He would talk to his mother almost daily on the phone and through the Ring devices in her apartment. Oftentimes, he would pass the phone to his kids to let them talk.
Their last conversation was about the menu for the family’s Christmas gathering. But they could talk about anything.
“That’s the person you talk to the most, your mother,” Scott said.
The city never reached out after the incident, he said, but Scott did get a letter from the ambulance service regarding the 3 a.m. dispatch — a bill.