Prompt Treatment Lacking at Some Medical Facilities

It’s been over three years since Angel Rivera was left to die in the waiting room of the ER at Lincoln Hospital in New York. On July 19th, 2014, Mr. Rivera was brought in after suffering a head injury. Head injuries are recognized by medical professionals as particularly dangerous, in part because so many symptoms can be hidden until it is too late, and because of the high likelihood of death or disability if prompt treatment doesn’t take place. This is particularly true of brain bleeds and subdural hematomas, which may have few if any visible signs.

For those last three long years, Mr. Rivera’s family has been seeking justice for their dead loved one. In particular, they have been seeking to get the hospital to admit to wrongdoing resulting in Mr. Rivera’s death. The hospital has fought them tooth and nail, despite the fact they have acknowledged that Mr. Rivera sat for hours as he slipped into a coma.

It is only now, all these years later, that the hospital has been forced to allow the video proof of their negligence to emerge. The New York Daily News was able to obtain the footage, which clearly shows emergency room staff ignoring the dying man suffering a significant brain bleed, even as he became non-responsive.

People want to assume that hospitals always have the best interest of patients at heart. And people want to believe the truth will automatically prevail simply because it is the truth. But as this case shows, the truth would never have seen the light of day if not for the dogged persistence of Mr. Rivera’s family in the pursuit of justice. The video of what happened would have just disappeared.

If you or someone you love has been the victim of medical malpractice, relying on the truth to win the day is not enough. You need to consult with qualified legal counsel, who can help you make sure that the truth is revealed, and that you obtain the justice and compensation to which you are entitled.