WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. --
A firefighter who allegedly took an amputated foot from a crash scene and used it to train her cadaver dogs was last year's St. Lucie County firefighter of the year.
Cindy Economou has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
The attorney for Karl Lambert, 46, of Melbourne, told WPBF News 25 on Thursday his client's leg had to be amputated after he was involved in a traffic crash Friday on Interstate 95 in Port St. Lucie. Lambert was airlifted to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, but his leg was left behind.
Attorney Raymond Christian told WPBF News 25 in a telephone interview that one of the firefighters at the scene took the severed body part because "she was some kind of training person for cadaver dogs, and she basically took the leg."
Christian said Lambert was notified by a Florida Highway Patrol investigator Wednesday.
St. Lucie County Fire District Chief Ron Parrish said his department was told the firefighter only took the foot and not a leg.
"After the patient was airlifted, it was alleged one of our firefighters removed a foot from the accident," Parrish said in a news conference.
It is alleged that Economou took the amputated foot to fire station No. 10 and had a family member bring it home to use for training her cadaver dogs.
"It's not normal for remains or pieces or parts to be removed from an accident scene other than by the appropriate authorities," fire district spokesman Buddy Emerson said.
Standard procedure is to transport an amputated or severed body part with the patient to the hospital in case it can be reattached.
"This is a very serious allegation," Parrish said. "We have an obligation to the patient, to the public and to those involved."
Copyright 2008 by WPBF.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Related Stories
