Family Of Fort Worth Mom Sues Hospital For Medical Malpractice
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The family of a Fort Worth mother who died after three seizures, is suing the hospital where she was first taken for treatment.
The lawsuit filed in Dallas County on Monday, accuses Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital, an ER doctor and a neurologist of multiple medical malpractice errors.
The family of of Kristy Stingley, 32, is seeking monetary damages topping $1,000,000.
"You lose your best friend at the drop of a hat. How do you pick up the pieces? It's a day at a time, and it's extremely difficult," said Jeff Stingley, Kristy's widow.
Jeff is now a single dad to the couple's two children, a three-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son.
"They told me this morning they miss their mom," Jeff said.
According to the lawsuit, Kristy Stingley suffered a seizure while at home on the morning of December 14, 2013. Her husband called 911 and she was taken by ambulance to Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital.
The family alleges a CT scan taken at the hospital showed blood on Kristy's brain. Doctors, they say, diagnosed her with a sinus infection and a migraine brought on by work-related stress, and she was discharged home.
They sent us home, gave us medicine. Hours later the same thing occurred," Jeff recalled.
The afternoon of that same day, Kristy suffered a second seizure. A second ambulance rushed her to a different hospital in Fort Worth. During the transport, she suffered a third seizure.
Thirty minutes into that second hospital trip, Jeff says he learned his wife was brain-dead.
Kristy was taken off life support the next day.
The tort reform laws passed in 2003 in Texas are some of the toughest in the country and require a tremendous burden of proof of medical malpractice.
The Stingley family's attorney, Les Weisbrod, thinks 'conscious indifference' can be proved in this case on more than one level.
"Anyone can look at that film and see there's blood on the film. It makes you think nobody looked at it, number one. Number two, the symptoms she had in the emergency room, she should have never been sent out the door," said Weisbrod.
CBS 11 News reached out to Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital for comment on the lawsuit. A spokesperson said the hospital system cannot comment on pending litigation.
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