Man Found Dead After Waiting 8 Hours in Waiting Room

When you or a loved one has been injured due to an accident that may be the result of another person’s, business’s, governmental agencies or municipality’s negligence, contacting a trusted and knowledgeable Brooklyn or Bronx medical malpractice attorney is an important step to take. They can investigate the circumstances of your case and if negligence is responsible fight to obtain the justice and compensation you deserve.

Man Found Dead in Emergency Waiting Room

Recently a man in the Bronx died in a hospital emergency waiting room after coming in for treatment. Reports state that he was waiting to be seen for more than eight hours. But, by the next morning, he was dead. At St. Barnabas, the average wait to be seen & treated is twice the New York State and national average, according to N.Y. Post. The average time there is over 5 hours compared to the New York State average of about 2 ½ hours and the national average of about 1 ½ hour. This indicates a shortage of medical staff to meet the high patient volume.

Multiple reports said that a 30-year-old man named John Verrier walked into the emergency room of the Bronx hospital St. Barnabas on January 12, 2014, at approximately 10:00 PM. He complained about a rash. However, at around 6:40 the next morning, he was found dead in the waiting room after a guard failed to wake him.

A spokesman for the St. Barnabas Hospital, Steve Clark, confirmed the timeline regarding Verrier’s death. He also said that the Verrier was alive at 2 a.m. when a security guard who made a “pass” through the E.R. to roust the many homeless people who try to sleep there.

Clark said that upon entering the E.R. at St. Barnabas Hospital, Verrier had had his vitals taken in the triage area. According to Clark, afterward, he was told to wait in the waiting room until being called to see a doctor. By 12:35 AM, his name was called but the man failed to respond. His name was subsequently called two more times throughout the night, but Verrier did not respond. Clark stated that people have a responsibility to respond when their name is called so that they can see a doctor.

Both security footage and employee accounts determined that Verrier was still alive at least until 3:45 AM. At some point, a security guard woke him after he had fallen asleep. He had also been recorded on the security camera and was shown walking through the waiting room.

At the moment, there is no known cause of Verrier’s death. It will be determined following an autopsy from the medical examiner’s report. The case is being investigated internally. Hospital officials state that they did everything according to protocol.

In addition, Clark added that many people come into hospitals on cold nights in New York City and stay in the waiting room for warmth. They are not allowed to sleep or loiter but have to present a medical complaint to stay in the hospital. Often, these individuals make up a reason so as to avoid being kicked out.

The hospital issued a statement that it was a tragedy that a young man died. Yet, after an internal review was done, it was decided that all the proper hospital guidelines and procedures were met.

If this type of tragedy occurred to any one’s loved one or family member, it would create many questions. A knowledgeable and experienced Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury lawyer would be the best person to contact. If negligence or malpractice is suspected as contributing to the loss a loved one, they would then investigate the circumstances and facts of the case. The Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury lawyers at Peters, Berger, Koshel & Goldberg, P.C. are experienced in these types of medical malpractice cases and have recovered large settlements and verdicts for the families involved.

One example of their abilities to obtain justice and full and fair compensation in a similar case was $1,850,000 recovered for the family of a 31-year-old man who died I an Emergency Room due to the delayed treatment of a perforated peptic ulcer.

Speak to an Experienced Brooklyn Personal Injury Attorney

If you or a loved one has suffered an injury or loss of a loved that could have been prevented if proper procedures were followed, the Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury attorneys at Peters, Berger, Koshel, and Goldberg, P.C. are ready to help you obtain justice and the full and fair compensation you deserve. If you have lost a loved one due to other’s negligence, they know that no amount of money can ever truly compensate for the pain of this tragedy. However, it will allow for the payment of medical bills and the replace support that a loved one would have provided you and your family.

Contact NY personal injury lawyers of Peters, Berger, Koshel & Goldberg, P.C. at 718-596-7800 to schedule a consultation at no cost to you. Their offices are located at 26 Court Street Suite 2803 in Brooklyn, New York, across from Brooklyn Supreme Court. There is never a fee unless they recover money in your case.