$2M For Woman's Death On Hospital Floor

(AP)  The family of a woman who died on a hospital floor, struggling to get up while staffers ignored her, has settled a wrongful-death lawsuit against the city for $2 million.

But the family of Esmin Green, whose death was recorded on a hospital security video, still is awaiting a full investigation into what happened at the Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn, family lawyer Sanford Rubenstein said Wednesday.

"What remains most important to this family is the criminal culpability for those responsible for what happened and those who attempted to cover it up," Rubenstein said.

Green, a 49-year-old psychiatric patient, had been in a waiting room at the city-owned hospital for nearly 24 hours when she collapsed on June 19, 2008. Neither fellow patients nor the hospital's staff moved to help her, even as she thrashed her legs on the floor and tried to get up. Two security guards and a member of the hospital's medical staff can be seen on the video stopping to look at her briefly before walking away.

Green stopped moving after about 30 minutes. She was on the floor for an hour before a nurse checked her pulse. The medical examiner said she suffered from blood clots.

Six hospital employees lost their jobs over the incident, and the video prompted national outrage when it became public soon after.

The U.S. Department of Justice cited Green's death among other abuses in a February report that documented a pattern of what investigators said was "inadequate care," violence among patients and sexual abuse at Kings County.

That report became public when Alan Aviles, president of the city's Health and Hospitals Corp., announced reforms at the hospital including the replacement of its top two administrators and the addition of 200 medical personnel to its 600-member staff.

Aviles said the improvements would shorten the average time patients wait in the psychiatric emergency room to eight hours, down from 27 hours.

Aviles said Wednesday's settlement with the Green family was "not meant to put a value on a life and the loss of a loved one."

"The indelible memory of this tragedy will spur us to fulfill our promise to create a national model of patient-centered mental health services at Kings County Hospital," he said in a statement.

[Meg003]

You would not see this happen in Great Britain, because they have a REAL immigration system. This lady would not have been able to stay without legal status.

Part of our problem is we require our hospitals to treat illegal invaders. We also require our schools to teach illegal invaders' children. We reward impoverished, illegal aliens for coming to this country instead of enforcing our immigration laws. We have strained our ERs and mental hospitals way past the breaking point with people who do not pay.

Then we wonder why adequate health care is not provided, and why it is difficult to find caring professionals to work in these pressure cooker hospitals.

That does not diminish the personal tragedy or the wrong-doing, but the invasion needs to stop. All the illegals should be sent home to allow room for legal immigration at a controlled pace. This would avoid similar tragedies in the future.

[erasmus111]

You wouldn't see this happen in Canada or England...


Maybe the hospitals need more money....
Posted by jtdev1 at 10:55 AM : May 28, 2009

Your correct she would of been sent home and have to wait for 2 months for treatment. She would of died at home.
Posted by dwilson59 at 2:17 PM : May 28, 2009

You know, I am so tired of all you freakin' idiots talking about a health care system that you know nothing about! Shut your mouths unless you know what you are talking about.

If that woman entered a hospital in Canada, that woman would have had the care she needed. That woman would not have gone home until she was FIXED. You MIGHT have to wait a week, or maybe two for a test, or you MIGHT have to wait 2 months (or less) for surgery (and that is only if it isn't an emergency), but if you enter a hospital, you are looked after immediately.

Some of you are so STUPID that it is pathetic. No one has worse health care than you. That is of course the ones that even HAVE health care!

[antoniof123]

Your correct she would of been sent home and have to wait for 2 months for treatment. She would of died at home.
Posted by dwilson59 at 2:17 PM : May 28, 2009

Absoultly NOT TRUE, and don't try to use the CPR add if they had finished the interview and course they did not the doctor who was hammering Canada said that the only country that as worst health care is yes you guess it the United States of America.

Typical right wing nuts they will lie to you no matter what.

[nishaboston]

What does this story have to do with the race or nationality? That is the problem with these comment sections, people leave comments that has nothing to do with the story!

[cattlekate1]

I, as a taxpayer, will pay for this. It would've been cheaper if we had Single Payer. Poor woman.

[dwilson59]

You wouldn't see this happen in Canada or England...


Maybe the hospitals need more money....
Posted by jtdev1 at 10:55 AM : May 28, 2009

Your correct she would of been sent home and have to wait for 2 months for treatment. She would of died at home.

[stickdog3]

jtdev1 - you brought out a interesting point. This would never happen in Canada. Matter of fact up there they don't have to pay to go to a hospital or see a Doctor. Thats the way it should be. Their citizens can go to any hospital or Doctor they want to. Cuba is the same way. Nor do they have to pay to go to school in Cuba. Matter of fact its little known but Cuba has a program they started letting students who major in medicine go to their Medical School free of charrge, (these students are primarily, Black or Hispanic students) from Americas inner cities. The only way to get this free medical education is that you promise to locate your practice after you graduate in the inner cities, their medical education program lasts 6 years, the first class graduated last year, all the students who signed up for it graduated on time, they all came back to the U.S.A. and started their practices in the inner cities, it was a great story and is still ongoing, any of you who have kids or know kids who want to be Doctors they can get their whole education free, just contac the Cuban Government for details. Anyways health care should be free for a countrys citizens if Canada, Cuba, Botswana, and quite a few other countries can do it so can we. Only thing greed and these giant pharmaceuticals are blocking it. Bastards!.

[stickdog3]

First off you got to ignore people like TheMasses, second, and unfortunately, theres tons of people out there like him in this country, diehards. This case is disturbing, its ironic, but this same exact case happened out here in L.A. last year. This woman was a Latina, I forget what organ had burst inside her, but she was wriithing on the floor just like the lady in New York, for over 12 hours. Her friend called 911 from inside the hospital, they said well you're already at a hospital why are you calling us. The caller told them because they won't help us. To be honest, its hard to comprehend that. A hospital, a place of healing and people who are trained to heal would walk by watching this woman in complete agony and not do anything. The woman out here passed away as well right there on that hospital floor. That case led to the closing down of that hospital which was a huge hospital and had been in the community for many years. Ironically it was named after Dr. Charles Drew the Black Doctor who invented the process of storing blood plasma, and who started the precursor to the modern Red Cross. Unfortunately he died because of racism back in 1949 I think it was, he was in a bad auto accident down south they brought him to the nearest hospital which was fo whites only ( which in and of itself) is mindblowing, anyways, they wouldn't admit him, Dr. Drew bled to death on the hospitals steps, one of the great minds in medicine whose invention saved countless lives in World War II died being denied the very thing he invented. It didn't end there when the hospital found out who he was, they rushed outside trying to save him, it was to late. England and France recalled their ambassadors from America, citing Dr. Drews death as nothing short of barbaric. In England and France Dr. Drew was hailed as a hero of epic proportions, and all around the World he was looked upon that way, except here, Incredible! Racism still exists people its just more subtle nowadays. How stupid and sad. You get this clown get on TV and say he wishes the President fails, to me he's a traitor of the worst kind. Who should be hanged by his fingernails. They should really watch people like him, he's prime pickings to be compromised by the enemy.

[mellie1957]

It's a tragedy that should not have occurred. I don't care what color or nationality - this shouldn't happen to anyone.

TheMasses03 - your opinions are disgusting. But, I wouldn't wish the same on you even though you are heartless (not to mention brainless).

[mjvwsr]

I guess it just depends on the government. You have a new government now, hopefully things will change.
Posted by erasmus111

Our government hasn't done much efficiently and / or effectively for the last 50 years. There is no reason to expect it to change now.