HUNTINGTON — An Ohio patient is suing a Huntington medical facility, alleging negligence, gross negligence and vicarious liability.
Dale McCorkle of Oak Hill, Ohio, filed a lawsuit in Cabell Circuit Court against Dr. Rebecca L. Sapien, River Valley Emergency Physicians Inc. and St. Mary's Medical Center Inc., alleging they failed to exercise due care through reckless disregard of a patient.
According to the complaint, on May 19, 2014, McCorkle was referred by his family physician to the defendants' emergency department/hospital. The suit says although the plaintiff's daughter was concerned about sepsis, McCorkle was sent home for lack of findings May 20, 2014.
The next day, however, the lawsuit states McCorkle was admitted to Southern Ohio Medical Center for pneumonia, hemoptysis, NSTEMI and sepsis, and was eventually operated on for a heart valve infection.
The plaintiff alleges the defendants failed to inform McCorkle that his blood culture was positive for bacteria, failed to notify him to return immediately to the hospital for treatment and failed to conduct an adequate evaluation and diagnosis of the plaintiff.
McCorkle seeks trial by jury, judgment against the defendants, compensatory damages, interest and all other relief the court finds just. He is represented by attorneys R. Dean Hartley, Mark R. Staun and James C. Wright of Hartley & O'Brien PLLC in Wheeling.
Cabell County Circuit Court Case number 16-c-323