When an emergency calls for a trip to the hospital, most people expect to spend a lot of time waiting. However, a New York hospital is facing a multi-million dollar lawsuit after what some call an egregious delay in treatment. The alleged medical malpractice resulted in the loss of a leg for a father of three.
On his way home from work around 6:00 one morning, a 46-year-old man was hit by a car. Within minutes, help arrived and he was rushed to the hospital. Shortly after his arrival, doctors determined that the man’s right leg was cold to the touch. A CT scan revealed that he needed vascular surgery immediately to restore blood flow. This required that the man be transferred to another hospital where a vascular surgeon was on duty, but attempts to reach the other hospital by emergency hotline went unanswered.
Despite the fact that state law requires a hospital transfer to take place within 30 minutes, it was nearly eight hours after his accident when the man was finally transferred. However, because the staff of the first hospital neglected to send the CT scan with him, the man was required to wait another three hours while he underwent a second scan. By the time he went to surgery — after 7 p.m. — the leg could not be saved.
The man is suing the New York hospital for $24 million. This life-changing injury may mean the man is no longer able to work. He may require rehabilitation and medical help for many years, but perhaps most seriously, he is left with permanent disfiguration. Like many others who are injured as a result of medical malpractice, this man sought the aid of an attorney who is helping him seek restitution for his pain and suffering.
Source: New York Daily News, “Man who lost his leg blames Brooklyn hospital in a $24M medical malpractice lawsuit”, Dareh Gregorian, July 5, 2016