A Marion paramedic has been placed on three years of probation by Ohio's emergency medical licensing board over his handling of a 2022 call involving a man with a gunshot wound to the head — a punishment that came even after an independent hearing examiner recommended the case be thrown out entirely.
The Ohio State Board of Emergency Medical, Fire, and Transportation Services made the decision regarding medic Austin Ray on Wednesday in Columbus, according to 10TV. Ray had faced the possibility of losing his license altogether over his response to an October 2022 emergency call involving Joshua Goodrich, who had suffered an apparent gunshot wound to the head.
According to the station's report, Ray was accused of failing to evaluate and treat Goodrich, failing to properly assess his vital signs, and failing to perform resuscitative measures or arrange timely transport to a hospital. Regulators found the conduct violated Ohio Administrative Code provisions covering minimum standards of care and medically appropriate EMS evaluation, treatment and disposition — standards laid out in Rule 4765-9-01 of the Ohio Administrative Code, which requires certified EMS personnel to provide services that meet the minimal standard of care for their certification level under similar circumstances.
A Delay Rooted in a Phone Call
Per the same account, the case centered on a call Ray made that night to a local emergency-room doctor, asking whether Goodrich should be revived. The doctor reportedly told Ray that resuscitation was not needed based on the information Ray described over the phone. A responding officer at the scene, however, said of Goodrich, “He's still breathing,” while Ray is reported to have said, “It's obvious death.”
Goodrich was ultimately taken to the hospital after an assistant coroner confirmed he was still breathing, the report states, and he lived three more hours before dying. The independent hearing examiner who reviewed the case determined that Ray delayed care because of the guidance he received from the doctor he called that night, and the examiner reportedly opined that paramedics should not be penalized when a doctor makes an incorrect call — ultimately recommending that the board dismiss the case against Ray.
Board Disagreed With the Dismissal Recommendation
The board did not follow that recommendation. A board member said the standard of care on arrival was to immediately assess the patient and perform resuscitative efforts consistent with medical protocols, according to 10TV's account of the proceedings. That reasoning led to the three-year probation rather than the dismissal the hearing examiner had sought.
Ray's attorneys told the station they were still deciding whether to appeal and declined further comment beyond that. Under the board's process, Ray has 15 days to appeal the decision.
Brother's Lawsuit Winds Through the Courts
Joshua Goodrich's brother, Donald Goodrich, has been pursuing his own legal fight over the case, suing Ray, the city of Marion and others connected to the 2022 call. The report states Donald Goodrich wanted Ray to lose both his license and his job. A trial court previously dismissed his lawsuit, and it is now before an appellate court, per the same reporting.
Donald Goodrich told the station, “This fight not over. This is just the beginning. There'll be more.” Ohio Revised Code Section 4765.33 gives the state's EMS oversight authority the power to suspend or revoke certificates and take other disciplinary action against emergency medical personnel, the underlying authority the board used to impose Ray's probation.
