On August 2, 2011, Lewis Ogioba, then 15 years old, felt dizzy during basketball practice. His parents took him to Easton Hospital located in Forks Township, Pennsylvania. He was seen at 7:59 p.m. by Dr. Chiraag Gupta in the emergency room. Dr. Gupta treated Lewis with oxygen and prescribed oral prednisone medication. Additionally, Dr. Gupta diagnosed Lewis with asthma and ordered him to follow up with his primary care physician. He was discharged at 10:52 p.m. Approximately three hours later, Lewis went into cardiac arrest and died.
Lewis was found unresponsive at 1:50 a.m. on August 3, 2011. His father called 911. CPR was attempted; unfortunately, he was pronounced dead at 3:00 a.m. at Easton Hospital. The pathology report noted the cause of death was acute exacerbation of bronchial asthma. A contributing factor was cardiomegaly, or an enlarged heart.
Lewis’ family filed suit and claimed Dr. Gupta failed to properly diagnose Lewis, failed to administer the proper tests, delayed proper surgical treatment for an enlarged heart, improperly discharged Lewis, failed to warn Lewis of a life-threatening condition, and failed to maintain complete and accurate medical records.
When someone is injured or dies due to a health care provider’s negligence, financial recovery may be available. Such recovery is particularly important when permanent, life changing injuries are incurred. It is important to contact someone who understands the intricacies of the party’s right to recover.
Medical malpractice is a difficult area of law as it requires an understanding of both the legal practice and the mechanics of medicine. Abraham Watkins offers a free consultation to anyone wishing to pursue such claims.