New Jersey driver awarded $13M after state troopers mistakenly believed her stroke was sign of intoxication

A New Jersey driver was awarded nearly $13 million after she was arrested by a state trooper who mistakenly believed she was intoxicated when she was actually suffering from a stroke, which delayed the medical care she urgently needed by several hours.

Cheryl Lynn Rhines, now 57, was having a stroke on Oct. 17, 2017, when she pulled her vehicle over on Route 78 as she was traveling from her home in Jersey City to her job in Florham Park, according to her lawsuit against the New Jersey State Police obtained by NJ.com and the New Jersey Monitor.

A trooper found her about 30 minutes later with vomit on her face, and she was only able to answer questions with a “yes” or “no.”

Rhines was experiencing facial drooping – a symptom of a stroke – and was unable to control her body and motor functions, but the trooper claimed she was “playing games” and made the arrest, according to the lawsuit. She was also experiencing drooping eyelids and having trouble holding herself up.

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The lawsuit described the trooper’s conduct as “so outrageous in character and so extreme in degree as to go beyond all possible bounds of decency and is regarded as atrocious and utterly intolerable in a civilized community.”

“Any ordinary human being observing Cheryl Rhines would have immediately recognized and called for emergent medical care,” it added.

More than two hours passed before someone at the police station eventually realized she was having a medical emergency and called an ambulance, which transported her to a hospital.

Rhines and her mother said the delay in treatment led to her suffering “the death of significant brain function and permanent lifelong disability,” according to the Independent. She is no longer able to work and requires continuous care.

In a trial last month, a jury faulted the state police. The state argued that police followed their training in their handling of Rhines’ situation.

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She was initially awarded $19.1 million – $5 million for pain and suffering, $6 million for emotional distress, $6.5 million for medical care and $1.6 million for loss of income – but the total was later reduced because of her pre-existing condition, according to NJ.com.

Nearly $350,000 in medical expenses and more than $1 million in other related costs were added to the final payment, which ended up being about $12.9 million, the outlet noted.