After experiencing the tragic loss of her husband, a woman has decided to move back to Illinois so she and her two children can be closer to family. The woman’s husband had died of a heart attack in January 2011.
Heart attacks cannot always be avoided, and heart attacks remain a common cause of death amongst adults in Joliet and throughout the entire U.S. But the widow believes that her husband’s death could have been prevented. Three days before her husband’s wrongful death, the widow says that her husband had sought treatment at a medical center when he began to experience chest pain.
An emergency room doctor at the center said that the man had suffered a heart attack. To evaluate the patient further, two specialists were assigned to treat the man. According to a medical malpractice lawsuit that was filed by the widow last week, the two specialists had failed to properly diagnose how serious her husband’s condition really was.
The lawsuit states that one doctor had misread X-ray results that indicated abnormal results. The X-ray had been taken to determine whether the man suffered additional heart problems that could lead to another heart attack. The doctor who read the X-ray said that the results were normal. This prompted another doctor to send the patient home. The patient was instructed to take aspirin and ibuprofen instead of cardiac medications.
Within days of being sent home from the hospital, the woman’s husband suffered another heart attack. The woman called 911 and performed CPR. Sadly, emergency responders were unable to save the man. The woman’s husband was only 40 years old.
The woman is seeking compensation for the doctors’ fatal mistakes. Had the X-ray been read properly and had her husband received the medical treatment he needed at the hospital, the fatal heart attack might have been prevented.
Source: Sun-Sentinel, “Delray Medical Center sued for wrongful death of husband, father,” Karla Browsher, Aug. 13, 2012
