The parents of two young Knox County brothers killed in a 2016 vehicle crash allege in a lawsuit that Rural/Metro first responders were slow to get to the scene and failed to give proper aid.
Richard and Amy Merrell, the Corryton parents of Andrew and Austin Merrell, filed their Knox County Circuit Court suit on Thursday, exactly one year after the tragic crash.
Lawyers T. Scott Jones and David Hollow represent them.
"This boy suffered and died a horrible death," Jones told 10News regarding what happened February 24, 2016.
The lawsuit names Rural/Metro of Tennessee LP as a defendant and seek several million dollars in damages.
The Merrells sued as next of kin for Andrew Merrell, who was age 14 when he died from crash injuries the night of Feb. 24, 2016.
Andrew was riding in the front seat as his brother Austin, 22, drove. Also riding were their brother Skyler Merrell, and friend Clay Church, both of whom suffered injuries and were identified as being age 16.
Austin was driving east on Emory Road when the vehicle went off the road near Washington Pike. it ended up in a ditch facing a culvert, the lawsuit states.
Knox County 911 operators got the first report at 6:59 p.m., the lawsuit alleges, and two Rural/Metro units were dispatched at 7:02 p.m.
One got on the scene at 7:10 p.m. and the other arrived at 7:26 p.m., according to the Merrells' lawsuit.
Personnel found Andrew Merrell "pinned" in the front passenger seat.
The first responders saw that Andrew had a pulse. but they classified him as "presumptively deceased," according to the lawsuit. They removed him at that point, according to the lawsuit.
Andrew's death is listed as being due to suffocation.
Jones told 10News, Andrew's death was preventable.
"This boy's life could have been saved had good decisions been made," Jones added. "These emergency service personnel arrived, determined that the young man was alive, that he was breathing, had a pulse and they made a conscious decision not to extricate him out of the vehicle."
Austin, Andrew's older brother, also died as a result of the crash.
10News reached out to Rural Metro regarding the lawsuit.
In a statement, they said: "We do not comment on pending litigation."
Skyler Merrell, a Gibbs High School football player, was honored earlier this year at the PrepXtra football banquet with the Eddie Courtney Courage Award, which recognizes someone who shows courage in the face of adversity.