Parkersburg hospital blamed for death

CHARLESTON - Despite repeated complaints that he was having trouble breathing, a Parkersburg woman says her brother was never given proper medical attention and it led to his death.

Anna Schultheis, Administratrix of the Estate of David Bailey, is suing St. Joseph's Hospital of Parkersburg and HCA Health Services of West Virginia in Kanawha Circuit Court. She filed the suit Aug. 16.

She says on March 21, 2005, following neck surgery, Bailey was under the care of St. Joseph's nurses when he began having difficulty with his airway.

First, she says Bailey started coughing and requested the head of his bed be raised. A few minutes later, she said he told the nurses that he could not breathe.

She say no doctor was called until Bailey stopped breathing and turned blue five minutes later.

Three days later, Bailey died as a result of the irreversible brain injury he sustained while he could not breathe, Schultheis says. He was 47.

She alleges the staff was negligent in failing to recognize and treat his respiratory distress, properly assess and monitor his medical condition and properly report it to a doctor.

She also charges the hospital with false advertising, citing a slogan that say, "We work with one another and in collaboration with others to build a continuum of care."

Richard Lindsay of Tabor, Lindsay and Associates is representing Schultheis, who is seeking general and punitive damages.

Judge Jennifer Bailey Walker has been assigned the case.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number 06-C-1635