BECKLEY – The wife of a Raleigh County man says he died because of improper treatment at a Beckley hospital.
Janie M. Howard, administrator of the estate of Charles B. Howard Jr., filed her complaint August 23 in Raleigh Circuit Court against Raleigh General Hospital and Dr. Mustafa Rahim.
“This is a case where the medical providers completely blew the treatment and care of our client’s husband, causing his death,” L. Dante diTrapano, one of the attorneys representing the estate, told The West Virginia Record.
diTrapano
| File photo
According to the complaint, Charles Howard Jr. presented to Raleigh General Hospital on April 17, 2023, with worsening respiratory problems following a recent bronchitis diagnosis. A chest x-ray showed pneumonia, and he was admitted for treatment and monitoring.
By the evening of April 22, 2023, Howard’s distended abdomen was tender to touch, and his blood pressure was 109/41. He also had an elevated white blood cell count and low hemoglobin level. The complaint says that should have prompted the hospital and doctor to perform “an aggressive evaluation” and conduct appropriate diagnostic testing to determine the nature and steps of Howard’s underlying condition that was causing these symptoms.
Three hours later, Howard was vomiting “coffee ground” emesis, and he remained hypotensive through the night.
On the afternoon of April 23, 2023, Howard underwent an emergency splenectomy and evaluation of a retroperitoneal hematoma and an abdominal wall hematoma. But he had deteriorated so much that the surgical intervention wasn’t enough to save his life. He died at 7:37 a.m. on April 24, 2023.
Janie Howard says the defendants failed to properly evaluate and treat her husband and breached their duties of care. She accuses Raleigh General and Rahim of medical negligence, and it accuses Raleigh General of vicarious liability.
She seeks compensatory damages for her husband’s pain and suffering as well as for his death, the estate’s pain and suffering, medical expenses and other losses as well as punitive damages, pre- and post-judgment interests, court costs, attorney fees and other relief.
Janie Howard is being represented by diTrapano, Charles F. Bellomy and David H. Carriger of Calwell Luce diTrapano in Charleston and by Dr. Richard D. Lindsay and Richard D. Lindsay II of Tabor Lindsay & Associates in Charleston.
Raleigh Circuit Court case number 24-C-283