Personal Injury Law

An Arizona hospital is being sued for medical malpractice by a local woman after her husband died while waiting eight hours to receive treatment in the emergency room.

The woman, Rachel Sweitzer, claims the hospital staff is guilty of negligence and reckless disregard in the treatment of her husband, which ultimately led to his wrongful death.

The official report by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that Sweitzer's husband died of necrotizing pneumonia, caused by the Staphylococcus aureus bacterium. A severe form of staph, called MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), led to Sweitzer's pneumonia.

MRSA does not respond to penicillins and cephalosporins, the antibiotics generally used to treat staph infections. Specialized "second-line" antibiotics are required to combat the infection.

On Feb. 9, 2008, Robert Sweitzer went to the St. Mary's Hospital ER in Tucson, complaining of a cold, severe cough, loss of energy, and intense lower back pain. The ER was extremely crowded due to the start of Tucson's severe flu outbreak.

Sweitzer was given a preliminary assessment at around 7 p.m. He was never re-examined over the next eight hours, and died shortly thereafter from necrotizing pneumonia.

St. Mary's Hospital denies any negligent behavior in relation to Sweitzer's death.

If you have a medical malpractice case in the Phoenix, Arizona area, please contact the law offices of Snyder & Wenner, P.C. today to schedule an initial consultation.