As reported by Click 2 Houston News, and others, two sons have joined together in a medical malpractice lawsuit lodged against a Houston-area hospital upon the grisly cellular phone video evidence of gnats, and ants, located in their father’s tracheotomy breathing tube prior to his death.
The video recording was shared with the news media after the two had filed their suit naming Select Specialty Hospital-Houston West for negligence in how their father, W.L.S., was cared for prior to his death.
Keith, one of W.L.S.’s sons said, “How my daddy was left in his last days, it wasn't good. It wasn't good.”
W.L.S., who died of lung disease, had been treated at a hospital following a collapse in his home in 2011. The hospital transferred the 61 year-old to Select Specialty Hospital for his rehabilitation.
Keith continued, “If you're there to be rehabilitated, then, no, you shouldn't have gnats, ants, filthy toilets, paper on the floor, food from feeding tubes. No, you shouldn't have any of that.”
While W.L.S. languished in the intensive care unit, K.S. and his brother noted several areas of concern. They decided to make video recordings of what they found: dead ants in W.L.S.’ breathing tube, dead ants on his pillow and bedding, a floor littered with soiled bedding, bandage wrappers and brown liquid that had escaped from his breathing tube.
Keith added, “It was on the floor, there were ants down there on the floor, there was paper down there, they look like from Band-Aids and gauze.”
The two brothers had been thinking that the cellular recordings would be useful to a jury – and force changes in the ICU that would protect others from similar conditions.
When the two tried to get staff at the hospital to clean up conditions in the ICU, they were met with excuses. Keith’s brother, Kurt, said, “It's a very hurtful feeling … overall, you just hurt.”
Kurt continued, “I'm like, my dad has ants and gnats inside of his tracheotomy tube, and she said, ‘Well, we exterminated today. We've been having a lot of bad problems with ants.’ Every time we come, it's something different. And it has to do with just being so unclean. I mean, if you're going to be in ICU, you would think that, OK, this is probably the cleanest place in the hospital.”
Derek Deyon is the attorney representing the two brothers. Deyon said, “The very tube that gave him life was filled with ants and gnats. "I've never seen so much neglect by an actual hospital.”
Hospital workers had told the brothers not to record anything in their father’s hospital room. Deyon added, “The fact that they didn't want to talk, they didn't want to be on camera, you know, like they say, if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to hide.”
Prior to filing the medical malpractice suit the brothers asked the hospital to settle the case for $200,000.
Keith believes that had his father been properly cared for he may have lived longer. He said, “I think they took him a lot earlier. I think they took him a lot earlier, because my daddy was strong. He was a strong dude.”
The suit alleges that W.L.S was improperly monitored and medical care was not properly provided.
If you have a case of medical malpractice, due to the injury or loss of a loved one, you have grounds for a lawsuit. A monetary award will not only comfort you, but also can be a force for change. Contact a medical malpractice attorney right away.