The family of Fred Kaneshiro, a 91-year-old man who died in an ambulance fire last year, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Honolulu Emergency Services Department. As reported by Hawaii News Now, Kaneshiro perished when an oxygen tank exploded in the ambulance en route to Adventist Health Castle in August 2022. The family's lawsuit alleges that Honolulu Emergency Services Department "failed to provide a safe environment" for the patient.
According to a Civil Beat report, the incident occurred after paramedics Peter Matsuura and Jeffrey Wilkinson responded to assist Kaneshiro with a medical issue, and an explosion happened as they attempted to transfer the oxygen source while approaching the hospital. The suit names not only the paramedics but also the medical product supply companies, including ProRack Gas Control Products, Airgas Inc., and several others, accusing them of failing to design safe equipment and not providing sufficient warnings of potential dangers.
Shayne Enright, a spokeswoman for Honolulu Emergency Services Department, stated the department has yet to receive the lawsuit and declined to comment further. Meanwhile, the ECRI, a medical consulting nonprofit, conducted a third-party investigation into the incident. Their findings suggested that contaminants such as oil or grease may have contributed to the explosion. Honolulu Emergency Services Department has since revised its procedures, instructing paramedics to handle oxygen tanks more cautiously during transportation.
The impact of the explosion was devastating – trapping Kaneshiro inside the ambulance compartment, after which he was pronounced dead later that day. The driver cabin was filled with black smoke as a plexiglass panel was blown out during the event, according to Civil Beat. Subsequent policy changes by Honolulu Emergency Services Department included the instruction to open oxygen tanks slowly, employ an exhaust fan when using oxygen, and perform oxygen tank switches only when the ambulance is stationary and the doors are open.
The lawsuit has brought not just legal scrutiny but also a human face to the tragedy, highlighting Kaneshiro's life story. He had grown a variety of crops on a family farm in Waimanalo, survived by kin who remembered him as "quiet, soft spoken and reserved," Civil Beat mentions. The family is seeking an unspecified amount of damages in the wake of the calamity that befell their loved one.
