File Photo Of A Hospital Bed. (AP Photo)
CHICAGO (CBS) — A Matteson couple is suing over the death of their 7-year-old son a year ago, alleging he died because of medical malpractice.
As WBBM Newsradio’s Regine Schlesinger reports, the Chicago Sun-Times says Aaron Pointer’s last words were, “I am tired of breathing” when he suffered an asthma attack on Sept. 13 of last year.
LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s Regine Schlesinger reports
Aaron parents rushed him to Franciscan St. James Health in Olympia Fields. But the family was told he needed more specialized care, so he was transferred to the other Franciscan St. James campus in Chicago Heights, the Sun-Times reported.
Aaron was then transferred a third time to Provena St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, about 30 miles and 45 minutes away, the newspaper reported.
By then, a lawsuit alleges, Aaron’s brain was starved for oxygen, and he soon died, the Sun-Times says.
The lawsuit names all three hospitals, and two doctors – Ravi George and John Davis – as well as Kurtz Ambulance Service, the Sun-Times reported. The suit claims Aaron was the victim of a string of medical errors and gross negligence.
The family’s attorney, Joseph Miroballi, called the medical decisions involved in the case “a formula for death,” according to the Sun-Times.
2 Comments
Didn’t either of the first two hospitals administer any kind of first aid to help this boy breathe? I can understand transferring to a specialized hospital once AFTER the patient has been stabilized; but TWO hospitals? Sounds like this is one lawsuit that is justified. What a shame that this little boy died for no reason – this should never have happened.
September 26, 2011 at 1:18 pm
Roberta, how do you know that just from this uneducated news article? How do you know the transfers weren’t justified, or that they didn’t treat the child appropriately? You don’t. Sounds to me like the child was in bad shape to begin with, and that there may not have been anything anyone could do for him. Had the child died at the first hospital, the parents would be suing because he wasn’t transferred to a more appropriate hospital. Some people just can’t be saved. That’s a fact of life. Blaming everyone who was involved, as this lawsuit is doing, isn’t the answer.
September 26, 2011 at 9:22 pm