Woman feeding cats suffered brain injury after fireman pushed her, family says

Family sues after firefighter pushed 84-year-old woman feeding cats - The Washington Post

After she moved into her Sparks, Nev., home about 16 years ago, Maureen Hvegholm brought food and water to stray cats in a nearby alley almost every day.

In response, Hvegholm swatted at the firefighter for a few seconds before he threw her to the ground, video footage shows. Hvegholm returned home with a swollen lump on her forehead and was later diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, according to her family.

On March 29, Hvegholm filed a lawsuit in Nevada’s Washoe County, alleging that the firefighter, Timothy Egan, battered her with excessive force.

“Hvegholm has suffered a severe decline in her quality of life, her ability to move about freely, and her ability to care for herself independent of her children — as well as a looming sense of panic, terror, and lack of security in her home,” the lawsuit states.

A spokeswoman for the city of Sparks said Egan is still employed by the Sparks Fire Department but declined to comment further. Egan’s attorney also declined to comment.

During a city council meeting last week, Hvegholm’s son, Marc, called the incident “an egregious act that should never have occurred.”

“I have no explanation for why that would’ve happened,” he said.

In a statement to the Sparks Police Department after the incident, Egan wrote that he was picking up debris in the alley on Dec. 8, 2022, when a woman screamed at him. He wrote that the woman — later identified as Hvegholm — threw cat food and a bowl of water at him before he “pushed her away.”

“I created space because I was concerned her intentions were more violence,” Egan wrote, adding that he told Hvegholm to remain on the ground while he called 911.

Hvegholm wrote in a separate statement to police that she was leaving items for the cats when Egan appeared in the alley and said he was going to clean up. She wrote that he threw away a cardboard box that contained tins of food and water.

Hvegholm wrote that she asked him to leave her items alone. As she gathered her belongings, she said, Egan grabbed them, which scared and confused her.

“The next thing I knew I was being physically lifted up and my feet were no longer under me,” Hvegholm wrote in her statement. “He threw me facedown onto the concrete alley. I don’t remember hitting the ground, I just remember being stunned and disorientated.”

Surveillance videos from the fire station, released by Hvegholm’s lawyer, show Hvegholm placing food, water and cardboard boxes in the alley as Egan drives by. After a few moments, Egan can be seen walking to the alley and picking up items Hvegholm had placed on the ground. Hvegholm turns toward Egan and swings her right arm twice before Egan grabs her and throws her down, footage shows.

Egan is seen standing over Hvegholm for a few seconds before walking back to the fire station. Hvegholm stumbled the opposite way.

Later that day, Hvegholm’s son drove her to the Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, where doctors said Hvegholm had suffered a concussion, according to her family.

A police incident report stated that Egan’s actions were “justified and did not constitute a battery,” while officers cited Hvegholm for battery, according to police records. The citation was dropped Dec. 19 after her children spoke with police.

Gayla Ouellette, Hvegholm’s daughter, said that firefighters had previously told Hvegholm not to feed the stray cats. Firefighters told police that the cats climb onto and scratch their equipment, according to the incident report.

At the city council meeting April 24, Ouellette told commissioners that Hvegholm didn’t pose a threat or break the law.

“The only transgression my mom committed was feeding homeless cats in what had been a particularly brutal winter here in northern Nevada,” Ouellette said. “And the last time I checked, being kind to animals was not a crime.”

Hvegholm sustained other injuries on her head, neck, back, legs, arms and organs, the lawsuit alleges. She now experiences headaches, nerve pain, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, Ouellette said, and she walks with a cane. Since that day in December, Hvegholm has fallen face-first in her kitchen multiple times, Ouellette said, and her memory has deteriorated.

“My mom is also feeling a great sense of shame,” Ouellette told The Washington Post. “Not at anything that she did, but because this happened to her and nobody’s doing anything about it. It’s like stating, ‘You’re not worth anybody caring about,’ or ‘You deserve it in some way.’”

Ouellette said Hvegholm also dreads leaving her home. On Wednesday, Hvegholm told Ouellette that she was scared to buy milk at a grocery store for fear that firefighters would follow her, Ouellette said. About 20 minutes later, Ouellette said, her mom called back and repeated the same concerns.

Hvegholm’s lawsuit is requesting more than $15,000 in damages, medical expenses and legal fees. Ouellette said she also wants an apology from Egan.

Ouellette said her mother has continued to feed stray cats, but she no longer approaches the alley by the fire station. Helping cats is one of the only ways Hvegholm finds purpose, Ouellette said, but if her health problems continue to worsen, even that small joy could be taken from her.

“It almost feels like my mom is dying, and it makes me really sad,” Ouellette said. “She’s kind of a shell of herself right now. I look at my mom just at this moment, and I don’t really see that person there.”