THIS is unacceptable! Can we do something for this Vet?

[fnaWife2AFVV]

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStorie...sdate=8/30/2002

Assault victim protests hospital trip
Albany -- Colonie man says now he's stuck with $700 medical bill

By BRENDAN LYONS, Staff writer
First published: Friday, August 30, 2002

Gilbert Brockway bombed German troops on D-Day from the belly of a B-24 Liberator, so when he was assaulted recently in a Price Chopper, he figured his head wound was no big deal.

But instead of leaving the Westgate Plaza store with a Band-Aid and his cans of cat food a few weeks ago, Brockway claims he was physically restrained, forced into an ambulance and taken to a hospital. Now he's stuck with $700 in medical bills.

"They handcuffed me, about eight of these people, and they held me in a chair for about 35 minutes," Brockway said. "It was embarrassing because people were gathered around watching, and this is where I shop. They picked me up in a stretcher, put me in an ambulance and took me to the Albany Medical Center Hospital."

The young man who knocked Brockway to the ground in a store aisle was never arrested, police said. The attack, during which Brockway's eyeglasses were broken, came moments after he told the man to stop bothering a young woman whom authorities believe was the suspect's girlfriend.

Authorities insist they had a legal right to restrain Brockway. They claim he refused to sign a medical waiver that could have avoided the physical confrontation with police and medical personnel. Brockway said he wasn't comfortable signing a document without his glasses and believes his civil rights were violated.

Emergency room workers cleaned up his head with some antibiotic ointment at the hospital and sent him on his way, Brockway said. He walked several miles to his house off of Osborne Road in Colonie.

Although a city internal affairs detective recently visited Brockway to hear his side of the story, officials said it does not appear that any policies were violated.

"We were well within our right," said Detective James Miller, a Department of Public Safety spokesman. "It appeared he was in imminent personal danger. They called and consulted with a doctor from Albany Med before transporting him to the hospital."

Store workers initially followed Brockway into a restroom and handed him paper towels to clean his head. Someone at the store called 911 when they realized he was bleeding.

"We did what we would do in any situation," said Barbara Page, a Price Chopper spokeswoman. "The firemen had a release that this gentleman was supposed to sign if he didn't want to go to the hospital."

As IF we had enough of these gallant guys still around!
Damnit!
How hard could it be to collectively gather some dollars to help him offset this ridiculous bill, and for one of our Vet Rep type people look him up in the system? All we need is an address.......

I sincerely doubt he's the caliber of person that's gonna go running to some civil rights/Plaintiffs attny and pursue it, and I can only imagine what this $700 "medical bill" is gonna do to the guy's monthly income - what, some whopping pittance of a military pension, if any, and social security benefits every month?
Thoughts?
m