Carol Gotbaum
Encyclopedia
Carol Anne Gotbaum was an air traveler who died, at age 45, on September 28, 2007 in Phoenix, Arizona
in Sky Harbor International Airport
while being held in police custody. She was arrested after becoming angry while attempting to board her plane to enter an alcohol treatment center
in Tucson, Arizona
.
; no publicly available legal documents verify this allegation.
Soon after the assault with the PDA, security officers were called and Gotbaum was arrested. According to Phoenix police, as she was taken away, Gotbaum was irate and continued to scream. She was subsequently handcuffed
to a bench and left in a holding cell for five to ten minutes. Police state they did not check on her when she was screaming, but became concerned when she stopped. When authorities later checked on her, they found Gotbaum dead.
The family stated their intention to investigate and potentially sue the police pending an autopsy, which they hired a representative to attend. Police officials say that officers acted justly and according to protocol, but the story received significant coverage as it drew public interest.
The Maricopa County Medical Examiner
found Gotbaum accidentally strangled herself and ruled her death an accident. In addition, their report states that she was acutely intoxicated on alcohol and prescription medication at the time of her death. These medicines included the antidepressants Citalopram
and Duloxetine
, as well as the antitussive Dextromethorphan
and the antihistamines Diphenhydramine
and Chlorpheniramine. Gotbaum's blood alcohol content
was .24, or three times the legal driving limit in Arizona.
Cyril Wecht, a pathologist hired by the Gotbaum family, agreed with the Medical Examiner's assessment of death by asphyxiation but argued that Gotbaum's condition should have been better assessed by the Phoenix police when they initially encountered her and appropriate medical personnel should have been contacted. Phoenix Police spokesman Andy Hill stated that there was no way they could have known about Gotbaum's health problems and that the police department acted appropriately. Wecht also mentioned in his report that Gotbaum should have been on just one antidepressant, not both, and that this combination of drugs in conjunction with the alcohol and her energetic emotional outburst could have made it more difficult for Gotbaum to get the oxygen she needed.
On August 21, 2008, the Maricopa County Attorney determined that the Phoenix police officers involved in the arrest of Carol Gotbaum did not break any laws and will not be prosecuted.
On October 19, 2009 it was announced that the city of Phoenix and the family of Carol Gotbaum had reached a settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit. A news release provided from the Phoenix Police Department indicates that the police department and the city decided to settle because it would have cost at least $750,000 to take the case to trial.
in 2004.
Carol left South Africa
after earning an MBA from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg
. She moved to London
where she worked at Harrods
and the House of Fraser before relocating to the United States
, where she married Noah Gotbaum (the son of Victor
and Sarah Gotbaum), with whom she had three children.
She had attempted suicide two times previously within a year of her death. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/10/03/2007-10-03__carol_anne_gotbaums_desperate_last_call.html
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
in Sky Harbor International Airport
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located southeast of the central business district of the city of Phoenix, in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States...
while being held in police custody. She was arrested after becoming angry while attempting to board her plane to enter an alcohol treatment center
Drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is a term for the processes of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines...
in Tucson, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
.
The incident
Gotbaum was unable to board her flight, as it had been overbooked. After being denied passage on a later flight, Gotbaum became irate; reviews of publicly available closed-circuit security tapes shows her lurching about and flailing, as well as hurling a PDA device at a US Airways employee. Several passengers subsequently alleged that they attempted to switch seats so that she could make her flight, but that they were dissuaded by employees of the airline, US AirwaysUS Airways
US Airways, Inc. is a major airline based in the U.S. city of Tempe, Arizona. The airline is an operating unit of US Airways Group and is the sixth largest airline by traffic and eighth largest by market value in the country....
; no publicly available legal documents verify this allegation.
Soon after the assault with the PDA, security officers were called and Gotbaum was arrested. According to Phoenix police, as she was taken away, Gotbaum was irate and continued to scream. She was subsequently handcuffed
Handcuffs
Handcuffs are restraint devices designed to secure an individual's wrists close together. They comprise two parts, linked together by a chain, a hinge, or rigid bar. Each half has a rotating arm which engages with a ratchet that prevents it from being opened once closed around a person's wrist...
to a bench and left in a holding cell for five to ten minutes. Police state they did not check on her when she was screaming, but became concerned when she stopped. When authorities later checked on her, they found Gotbaum dead.
Later controversy
The story of Gotbaum's death became national headline news, and newspapers across the country speculated as to what had actually happened. Most reports stated simply that she had been late in arriving for her flight, although this was changed in later news stories.The family stated their intention to investigate and potentially sue the police pending an autopsy, which they hired a representative to attend. Police officials say that officers acted justly and according to protocol, but the story received significant coverage as it drew public interest.
The Maricopa County Medical Examiner
Medical examiner
A medical examiner is a medically qualified government officer whose duty is to investigate deaths and injuries that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances, to perform post-mortem examinations, and in some jurisdictions to initiate inquests....
found Gotbaum accidentally strangled herself and ruled her death an accident. In addition, their report states that she was acutely intoxicated on alcohol and prescription medication at the time of her death. These medicines included the antidepressants Citalopram
Citalopram
Citalopram brand names: Celexa, Cipramil) is an antidepressant drug of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor class. It has U.S...
and Duloxetine
Duloxetine
Duloxetine is a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor manufactured and marketed by Eli Lilly. It is effective for major depressive disorder and has been shown to be as effective as venlafaxine for generalized anxiety disorder...
, as well as the antitussive Dextromethorphan
Dextromethorphan
Dextromethorphan is an antitussive drug. It is one of the active ingredients in many over-the-counter cold and cough medicines, such as Robitussin, NyQuil, Dimetapp, Vicks, Coricidin, Delsym, and others, including generic labels. Dextromethorphan has also found other uses in medicine, ranging...
and the antihistamines Diphenhydramine
Diphenhydramine
Diphenhydramine hydrochloride is a first-generation antihistamine possessing anticholinergic, antitussive, antiemetic, and sedative properties which is mainly used to treat allergies. Like most other first-generation antihistamines, the drug also has a powerful hypnotic effect, and for this reason...
and Chlorpheniramine. Gotbaum's blood alcohol content
Blood alcohol content
Blood alcohol content , also called blood alcohol concentration, blood ethanol concentration, or blood alcohol level is most commonly used as a metric of alcohol intoxication for legal or medical purposes....
was .24, or three times the legal driving limit in Arizona.
Cyril Wecht, a pathologist hired by the Gotbaum family, agreed with the Medical Examiner's assessment of death by asphyxiation but argued that Gotbaum's condition should have been better assessed by the Phoenix police when they initially encountered her and appropriate medical personnel should have been contacted. Phoenix Police spokesman Andy Hill stated that there was no way they could have known about Gotbaum's health problems and that the police department acted appropriately. Wecht also mentioned in his report that Gotbaum should have been on just one antidepressant, not both, and that this combination of drugs in conjunction with the alcohol and her energetic emotional outburst could have made it more difficult for Gotbaum to get the oxygen she needed.
Lawsuit
On March 27, 2008, the family of Gotbaum filed an $8 million claim against the city of Phoenix and its police department. A lawsuit was filed May 8, 2008.On August 21, 2008, the Maricopa County Attorney determined that the Phoenix police officers involved in the arrest of Carol Gotbaum did not break any laws and will not be prosecuted.
On October 19, 2009 it was announced that the city of Phoenix and the family of Carol Gotbaum had reached a settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit. A news release provided from the Phoenix Police Department indicates that the police department and the city decided to settle because it would have cost at least $750,000 to take the case to trial.
Biography
A native of Cape Town, South Africa, Carol Gotbaum was born Carol Anne Stiger. She had three sisters: Geraldine, Heidi and Patricia. Their father, Naval Warrant Officer Henry Brian Stiger, to whom Carol was particularly close, died from cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in 2004.
Carol left South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
after earning an MBA from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
. She moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where she worked at Harrods
Harrods
Harrods is an upmarket department store located in Brompton Road in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies including Harrods Bank, Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air...
and the House of Fraser before relocating to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where she married Noah Gotbaum (the son of Victor
Victor Gotbaum
Victor H. Gotbaum was an American labor leader. From 1965 to 1987, he was president of AFSCME District Council 37 , the largest municipal union in New York City.-Biography:...
and Sarah Gotbaum), with whom she had three children.
She had attempted suicide two times previously within a year of her death. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/10/03/2007-10-03__carol_anne_gotbaums_desperate_last_call.html