BECKLEY – A mother alleges a hospital and physician's negligence led to the death of her son.
Atawnia Griffith, as administratrix of the estate of Michael Tucker, filed a complaint on June 29 in the Raleigh Circuit Court against Beckley Appalachian Regional Hospital and Dr. Ahmed D. Faheem alleging medical malpractice.
According to the complaint, Tucker checked in at the defendant hospital on Sept. 23, 2016, because he was experiencing psychiatric problems and had express suicidal ideation. The suit states Faheem was Tucker's treating physician and ordered that Tucker should be checked by nursing staff every 15 minutes.
The plaintiff alleges that these checks were not performed in a timely manner and that Tucker hanged himself from his bed and later pronounced dead.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks damages, punitive damages, interest and all legal fees. She is represented by Ben Salango of Preston & Salango PLLC in Charleston. The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Andrew Dimlich.
Raleigh Circuit Court Case number 17-C-368-D