Armed with two frying pans, a woman recently chased and attacked the man she claimed was her boyfriend. The brain injuries he suffered following the assault resulted in his death less than a month later. Complicating his case was the care and/or lack of care by hospital emergency room staff that may have had the chance to prevent his death. Delaware personal injury attorneys frequently review cases such as this one to assess whether negligent actions may have resulted in a wrongful death.
The 35-year-old man and a father of four children was apparently sharing a residence with his attacker. According to records, she had a previous criminal record. It is unknown how the attack escalated into such a violent manner, but part of the beating was recorded on video. The woman had chased the victim into a convenience store and its surveillance video system recorded the beating just before the woman was stopped by bystanders. She is facing criminal charges for the assault and his death.
The man was taken to a nearby medical facility and was treated for his serious head trauma. After five days of treatment, he was released, but his father reports he was notably slow to respond. Reportedly, the victim returned to the emergency room for symptoms not long after his release, but was not kept for treatment. Five days after his first discharge, the victim screamed that he needed to be taken to an emergency room, and he was admitted for treatment. He had a serious brain bleed, and he was not able to recover.
Autopsy reports indicate that the man’s brain injuries were the cause of his death. His four children now have no father, and other family members are feeling his loss. In similar complicated cases, Delaware personal injury attorneys can review collected evidence to determine if grounds exist for a wrongful death or medical malpractice lawsuit in civil court. Apart from any criminal court proceedings, an attacker can be found negligent for their actions in civil court, and a hospital may be found negligent for treatment and/or lack of treatment, depending on the details of a case.
Source: nj.com, “Hospital sent man home 5 days after frying pan attack. He died 3 weeks later“, Rebecca Everett, Oct. 5, 2017