Hospital Sued For Letting Patient Deteriorate Until Death

The following is a guest post by The Hayes Firm:

For anyone who has visited an overcrowded emergency room, this story will ring out as a worst-nightmare-turned-real, if the claims prove justifiable in a court of law. The parents of Martha Barr, age 25, recently filed a lawsuit against PeaceHealth Hospital Group and Sacred Heart Medical Center for negligent care of their daughter during an emergency medical situation.

According to JusticeNewsFlash.com: “Martha Barr, 25, reported to Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend after 12 p.m. on December 23, 2008. Triage personnel at the hospital apparently evaluated her, subsequently deeming her condition to be a Level 3 on the triage scale of 1 to 5. Her symptoms were reportedly included “shortness of breath, anxiety, fatigue, abnormally fast heart and respiration rates and low oxygen saturation”.

However, Martha was left waiting for imperative emergency room (ER) medical attention for nearly six hours after the initial evaluation. When a doctor evaluated the patient around 6:25 p.m., he deduced Martha seemed to be suffering from pulmonary embolism. The doctor then commanded a CT angiogram be performed to confirm his suspicions.

Unfortunately, the CT scan was never performed given that by 7:15 p.m., Martha went into respiratory and cardiac arrest. CPR and life support were methods used in an attempt to revive the woman, but to no avail. Martha was pronounced dead at the hospital at 9:33 p.m.”

It is claimed by the plaintiffs that it was the gross negligence of the hospital that took a very treatable situation and turned it into a fatality. The parents will be suing for $500,000 in economic damages as well as $500,000 in pain and suffering damages. That will be placed on top of a $1 million dollar loss-of-love compensation claim.

This case is on-going and we cannot render judgment on either party at this time as the facts need to be assessed properly. However, this case does not take a far stretch of the imagination to understand how a situation like this might have occurred. Individuals are frequently left waiting for hours in ER’s, and even longer once they eventually get to a treatment room. It is not uncommon for an emergency patient to go an entire night without seeing a doctor or nurse more than once.

It’s understood that the medical staff in ER’s are placed in busy and high stress situations, but that can be no excuse for the gross neglect of patients in need. Perhaps cases like this, should they prove to be legally justifiable, will help tip the scales of attention and correction of broken emergency room policies.

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This guest post has been provided by DreamLegalTeam.com. If you have been injured and are a resident of the United States, you can utilize DLT’s free lawyer consultation service to find the absolute best attorneys in your area and receive an inside introduction. Don’t leave your legal case to chance!