Lisa Edwards

Lisa Edwards needed help. Instead, she was mocked, dismissed, and left to die outside of a hospital despite begging the police and medical staff for help.

On February 5, 2023, 60-year-old Lisa Edwards suffered a medical emergency outside Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. Instead of receiving urgent medical care, she was arrested by Knoxville police officers, who accused her of faking her symptoms. Hours later, she was dead.

Now, her family has filed a federal lawsuit against the Knoxville Police Department (KPD), Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, and American Medical Response (AMR), arguing that the very institutions meant to protect and care for her—law enforcement, healthcare, and emergency services—failed her at every level.

Arrested for Trespassing—While Dying

Lisa Edwards had recently flown to Knoxville from Rhode Island but fell ill upon arrival. She sought medical treatment at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, where she was admitted for several days. However, despite her worsening condition, the hospital discharged her—allegedly because she lacked insurance. 

After being released, Edwards remained outside the hospital, unable to leave. She couldn’t walk. According to her family, she had been unable to walk since 2019. Yet, instead of recognizing her condition, hospital staff called the police and reported her for trespassing.

When Knoxville officers arrived, they did not see a woman in need of medical help. They saw a nuisance. Rather than assisting her, they dismissed her distress, accused her of faking her condition, and struggled to lift her into a police van while mocking her.

Edwards told the officers that she had nowhere to go, she had a stroke, her ankle was shattered, and asked the officers not to continue hurting her. For over an hour she begged them for help but the more she begged, the more they mocked her.

A Life-Threatening Emergency Ignored

As Edwards gasped for breath, officers refused to believe her. When she told them she couldn’t breathe, they accused her of putting on an act. Body camera footage captured their indifference—ignoring her cries, treating her with disdain, and making no effort to get her medical assistance.

At one point, a security officer from the emergency room reportedly stepped outside to assess the situation and informed hospital registration that Edwards’ condition was worsening and that she needed medical attention. However, according to the lawsuit, the hospital refused to send anyone to evaluate or assist her.

While transporting Edwards to the Roger D. Wilson Detention Facility, the officer allegedly dismissed her distress, telling her to “grow up” and insisting she was “fine” as she moaned in the back seat, struggling to lift herself. The lawsuit states that at least nine times, the officer attempted to engage her in conversation and noticed her responses becoming increasingly weak and incoherent.

They decided to take her to jail instead of back to the hospital. But by the time they arrived at the detention centre, Edwards was unconscious. Only then did they call for emergency medical assistance—far too late. She was rushed back to the same hospital that had abandoned her hours earlier. The following day, she was pronounced dead.

Systemic Failure at Every Level

The lawsuit, filed by Edwards’ family, paints a damning picture of institutional negligence. It argues that Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center abandoned a critically ill patient, choosing to discharge her rather than provide care because she lacked insurance. It accuses KPD officers of treating her with “deliberate indifference,” prioritising an arrest over saving a life. It also claims that American Medical Response, the ambulance service contracted by the city, played a role in her neglect.

The medical examiner previously ruled Edwards’ death as a stroke, stating it was unrelated to the actions of Knoxville police officers. However, the lawsuit argues that this conclusion overlooked the fact that officers and security guards denied her medical care for an hour, despite her worsening respiratory distress, subjecting her to severe physical and emotional suffering.

According to the lawsuit, this “misleading report” influenced Knox County District Attorney Charme Allen’s decision not to pursue criminal charges against the officers.

Corruption and failure on every level

Lisa Edwards wasn’t just failed—she was discarded. By a hospital that refused to help her. By police who saw a dying woman as a criminal. By a system that protects corporations and institutions while leaving the most vulnerable to suffer.

She should never have died that day. She should have been heard. Instead, she was mocked, arrested, and left to die—another victim of a system built to serve profits, not people.

Her family’s fight for justice is not just about Lisa. It is about holding corrupt institutions accountable. Because next time, it could be someone else’s mother, sister, or friend—abandoned, ignored, and left to die in plain sight.

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