The demise of a crippled man who died after being held at a train station may have been avoidable, according to the man’s family.
Josh, 24, was handcuffed after a confrontation with security at Perth Underground Station on Friday night, and he experienced a medical episode a minute later.
At the station, the man “became extremely aggressive” and attempted to “hit one of the officers.”
The man was requested to “come up for fresh air” by transit security, who knew him and called him JJ, before being taken into custody.
Josh was found to be unconscious at the station, so paramedics were called. Before he was transferred to the Royal Perth Hospital, where he passed away, they gave him CPR.
Josh has Sotos syndrome, a hereditary disorder that causes physical enlargement from infancy.
Disability rights activist Samantha Connor said, “I really feel like the system has failed the family and Josh at every level.”
“Really, we need to know right away how Josh was let down and who was responsible for that failure.”
Josh was held, but the Public Transport Authority refuses to say on why.
