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http://www.indianagazette.com/news/police-courts/lawsuit-filed-in-beatty-slayings,17589114/
Many medical malpractice lawsuits are BS. but this one is totally legit. I hope the doctor and the hospital pay dearly for this nonsense.
Here's the gist of the story:
Lewis Beatty diagnosed with depression, goes to hospital ER for mental treatment. This is what he says, according to triage nurse's intake notes:
The ER doc (some articles refer to him as a family med doc) releases him directly from the ER with a script for an anti anxiety medicine.
10 days later, the guy kills his wife and 2 daughters and burns their house down.
Here's the hospital lawyer's spin on this:
So let me get this straight. If I tell the doc "I'm thinking about killing my wife" has to be handled differently than "I am going to kill my wife" because one is a "threat" and the other is not.
Absolutely absurd. This guy should have been immediately transferred to inpatient psych facility. There is absolutely ZERO defense of this. This doctor and the hospital are going to lose, and they are going to lose BIG for good reason.
Many medical malpractice lawsuits are BS. but this one is totally legit. I hope the doctor and the hospital pay dearly for this nonsense.
Here's the gist of the story:
Lewis Beatty diagnosed with depression, goes to hospital ER for mental treatment. This is what he says, according to triage nurse's intake notes:
States his wife went out with another guy last night. Patient states he doesn't know how to deal with it. States he thinks he is having a panic attack. Feels palpitations and shaky. States he is having suicidal thoughts. Is taking Lexapro. States that he is scared. Also having homicidal thoughts towards his wife
The ER doc (some articles refer to him as a family med doc) releases him directly from the ER with a script for an anti anxiety medicine.
10 days later, the guy kills his wife and 2 daughters and burns their house down.
Here's the hospital lawyer's spin on this:
IRMC's counsel, Thomas Anderson, of Pittsburgh, responded in a list of preliminary objections that the nurse's notes show Beatty had not made the kind of threat that would require action by the medical professionals.
Citing earlier court decisions, Anderson wrote, "Generally, a physician is under no duty to warn non-patient third parties of a patient's dangerous propensities. However, a duty will be imposed where the patient has voiced a specific threat to harm a specific individual."
According to the response, "there are no facts indicating that Mr. Beatty communicated a specific threat to harm his wife or his children. The notations in Mr. Beatty's medical records refer to suicidal and homicidal thoughts, not threats. A thought is not the same thing as a threat. Ideations are not the same as threats."
So let me get this straight. If I tell the doc "I'm thinking about killing my wife" has to be handled differently than "I am going to kill my wife" because one is a "threat" and the other is not.
Absolutely absurd. This guy should have been immediately transferred to inpatient psych facility. There is absolutely ZERO defense of this. This doctor and the hospital are going to lose, and they are going to lose BIG for good reason.