You may recall the false missile alert that the government issued in Hawaii last year. It caused quite the panic for residents there, and for those who have loved ones residing in Hawaii. It didn’t stop there; imagine that you were visiting, or heaven forbid, on your honeymoon. Well, it was not a good thing any way you look at it.
For 52-year old James Shields and his girlfriend, 59-year old Brenda Reichel, it was a complete nightmare. The couple were driving to the beach in Hawaii when they received the alert on their cell phones. The alert stated that “a ballistic missile threat inbound to Hawaii. Seek immediate shelter. This is not a drill.” It was delivered in all capital letters.
The couple decided that there was not much they could do to protect themselves, and that they wanted to die at the beach. They both called their children to say their goodbyes. To make matters worse, Brenda’s son worked for the Hawaii Army National Guard, and he confirmed their fears that this was real.
Shortly after the phone call to Brenda’s son, Shields started to feel a severe and painful burning in his chest area. He tried cooling down in the water at the beach, but when that did not work, he and Reichel headed for the nearest emergency room.
Minutes after arriving there, he went into cardiac arrest and had a heart attack. Doctors say prior to this incident, Mr. Shields had no record of heart problems.
It wasn’t until 38 minutes after the false alert was issued that government officials let the public know that the missile alert was a false one. It was an accident, and sent by mistake.
Since then, Mr. Shields has been under a doctor’s care for his heart attack and subsequent cardiac care.
Shields has decided to sue the state of Hawaii saying that the false alert caused his heart attack.
What would you do, and what do you think of his lawsuit?
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