Family Sues Lincoln Hospital After Mother Dies Following Minor Procedure
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A young mother went into Lincoln Hospital for a minor procedure and didn't come out alive.
The victim's family told CBS2's Charlie Cooper they want answers.
It was nearly a month ago when 27-year-old Rosemary Abreu went to the Bronx hospital to get a cyst removed.
"She told me, 'Mommy, I'm going to the hospital. I'm coming back right away,'" said Dorah Restituyo, the victim's mother.
The hospital says during surgery, Abreu suffered cardiac arrest, fell into a coma and died.
"We have filed today a claim for damages for $50 million for her children," said Sanford Rubenstein, the family's lawyer.
Restituyo says the hospital never notified them of Abreu's death until she went in to check on her daughter.
"I asked the doctor what happened to Rosemary, and they said, I don't know, I don't know. Everybody said, I don't know what happened to her," she said.
The notice of claim alleges the hospital made numerous mistakes, from improperly administering anesthesia to failing to check the victim's vital signs.
"It's very hard for me to explain to my granddaughters that their mother is not coming back," Restituyo said.
In tears, Abreu's family awaits autopsy results to find out the cause of her death.
"I don't imagine my life after that day, but I have to be alive for my two granddaughters," Restituyo said.
Hospital administrators have not responded to CBS2 for comment. Family members say the hospital won't respond to them either.
Abreu's mother says what makes this whole situation even more confusing is that her daughter had no preexisting conditions before going into Lincoln Hospital that day.