When a person is going through a medical emergency and has to visit a hospital in Ohio or anywhere else in the country, typically one of the first questions that hospital personnel will ask is if the person is allergic to any medications. One man passed away recently after being shot with hydromorphine, despite the fact that he told medical personnel that he was allergic to morphine. His ex-wife and his three children are filing a medical malpractice suit following the incident.
On August 12, 2013, the man went to the hospital with a complaint of stomach pain. He had reportedly told medical personnel that he was allergic to morphine. However, after being admitted, the personnel supposedly administered hydromorphine to the man. Furthermore, they allegedly did not check on him as often as they should have.
Only three hours after administering the first dose of the medication, he was given a second dose. Two days after arriving at the hospital, the man died. The autopsy revealed that there was “chronic inflammation” in his airways that did not necessarily indicate an allergic reaction; however, it was still possible that the man could have had a reaction. His family is filing a wrongful death suit against the hospital for their purported negligence.
If the court finds that the hospital was indeed negligent and the family wins the medical malpractice suit, then the family could be entitled to monetary compensation for various damages. While a civil suit in Ohio or anywhere else in the country cannot bring a loved one back, it can help ease the financial strain of no longer having that person’s support. It can also bring the family peace of mind knowing that justice was done.
Source: mercedsunstar.com, “Atwater family alleges wrongful death in Mercy Medical Center lawsuit“, Rob Parsons, Aug. 29, 2014