CHARLESTON – A man blames a Huntington medical facility for the death of his wife after she had a severe allergic reaction to a drug.
Irvin Pingley, administrator of the estate of Jetta Neil Pingley, filed a complaint in Kanawha Circuit Court against Retina Consultants PLLC, which is based in Kanawha County.
According to the complaint, Jetta Pingley was a patient at Retina Consultants’ Huntington office on May 3, 2018, when she was given an intravenous fluorescein dye for an angiography. Within six minutes of starting the IV, Pingley said she did not feel well, began scratching her arms and said she was going to pass out.
The staff lowered her to the floor, and she soon became unresponsive. EMS was called, and she was transported across the street to Cabell Huntington Hospital where she coded three times before she died the following day.
Irvin Pingley says the staff of Retina Consultants, including Dr. Chaitanya Indukuri, failed to recognize his wife’s allergic reaction, failed to timely call for an ambulance, failed to properly evaluate and treat her despite her complaints and observable deterioration and failed to administer Benadryl, epinephrine or another life-saving medicine.
The plaintiff accuses the defendant of medical malpractice and negligence as well as vicarious liability. He also says he has suffered a loss of spousal consortium.
He seeks compensatory damages for pain and suffering, medical expenses, funeral costs and other losses. He also seeks punitive damages, pre- and post-judgment interest, attorney fees, court costs and other relief.
He is being represented by Dante diTrapano and Benjamin Adams of Calwell Luce diTrapano in Charleston as well as Richard. D. Lindsay and Dr. Richard Lindsay of Tabor Lindsay & Associates in Charleston. The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Joanna Tabit.
Kanawha Circuit Court case number 20-C-645