Mother says county official disrespected Maui firefighter son killed in line of duty
WAILUKU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A grieving mother says Maui County officials are disrespecting her firefighter son who died in the line of duty in 2023.
Read more Firefighters extinguish fire at ABC Junkyard in Waiawa after explosions reported
But a county spokesperson says Chelsie Evans Enos misunderstood what they said.
Tre’ Evans Dumaran was a 24-year-old Maui firefighter who died trying to protect his community after being sucked into a storm drain during major flooding in Kihei in 2023.
Evans Enos filed a lawsuit against the county. But that was dismissed because the judge said workers’ compensation is the only recourse for employees who die on the job, and Tre’ didn’t qualify for workers’ comp because he had no dependents.
Enos is also suing Tre’s supervisor, saying her son didn’t have proper protective gear that day and no one’s life was in danger.
She says a court hearing last week regarding access to county documents was retraumatizing.
“My son, he lost his life for this community, and to then hear the county say like, you’re wasting our time by even asking for information of what happened to him, and then to refer to his life as very small, very tiny, and just an injury when really it was a death, it brought me right back to the hospital of watching his body being rolled out in a body bag,” Evans Enos said.
County responds
In a statement, the county said it recognizes the profound loss experienced by Tre’ Evans-Dumaran’s family and does not characterize his death as a small or insignificant matter.
Read more First Alert Forecast: Showers from Nolo expected to linger through Thursday with muggy Kona winds
“The statement referenced from the Sept. 23 hearing concerned the narrow legal issue remaining before the court, not the significance of Tre’s death or his family’s loss,” said County of Maui spokesperson Laksmi Abraham.
Attorneys for the captain, who are being paid for by the county, said their client was doing his job according to his training that day.
“No family should feel guilty for asking about answers of a death that happened to their child while working for the county under the county’s watch, especially when those answers can go to help the current firefighters or future firefighters stay alive,” Evans Enos said.
Settlement offer
Enos says she’s agreed to settle the suit if the county commits to regular audits of the department and pays $14 million, nearly all of which would go to the Live Like Tre Foundation, a nonprofit set up in her son’s honor.
She said the county has repeatedly denied her offer.
The county spokesperson said because litigation remains pending, the county will not comment on settlement discussions or negotiations between the parties, nor will it comment on the merits of the remaining claim.
Read more NBA returns to Hawaii as Clippers, Warriors train on Oahu
Trial is set for next year.
Post Comment