Blood Clots Said To Cause Woman's Death On Brooklyn Hospital Floor
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The attorney for the family of a woman who died on the floor of a Brooklyn hospital last month said Friday that his client's death was preventable.
The city medical examiner determined Friday that Esmin Green, 49, died from blood clots due to inactivity while waiting for nearly 24 hours to be seen in Kings County Hospital's psychiatric ward. Surveillance video showed Green convulsing on the floor while workers walked by.
According to the medical examiner, Green's lack of activity formed clots in her legs that traveled through her bloodstream to her lungs.
Her family's lawyer says if Green was treated sooner, she would be alive today.
"She could have been given anti-coagulation drugs like Heparin," said attorney Sanford Rubenstein. "She could have been given compression stockings to wear and she could have been told to walk around. She very well may not have died if she had been examined and treated in a timely fashion."
Green was on the floor for an hour before authorities say a nurse finally checked her pulse.
On Tuesday, Green's sister and daughter announced that they are suing the hospital for $25 million. Their lawyer also called for criminal charges in the case.
The hospital released a statement saying that they had "failed" Green and her family, and listed changes to the hospital's psychiatric program, including a decrease in wait times, expanded training for hospital staff and mandatory checks on patients every 15 minutes.
Six people have been fired from the hospital.
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