March 6, 2012
A 38-year-old nurse from Lufkin, Texas, could face the death penalty if convicted of the charges against her in connection with the deaths and injuries of nearly a dozen of her patients. According to reports from WFAA News, the woman is facing murder and attempted murder charges after five of her patients died and another five were injured when she injected them with bleach.
Law enforcement and the state health inspector’s office became suspicious of the nurse after paramedics reported excessive calls to the DaVita Dialysis Clinic for patients suffering from cardiac and breathing complications. Investigators say two patients later came forward saying they saw the nurse inject two other patients with a bleach concoction.
The nurse claims that she is a scapegoat for larger problems in the facility.
Harvard researchers conducted a study years ago that found 1% of patients treated in hospitals in 1984 were injured, and one quarter of those died, because of medical negligence. Nationwide, that translates into 234,000 injuries and 80,000 deaths in 1988 from negligence in American hospitals. The Institute of Medicine claims that between 44,000 and 98,000 patients die each year because of preventable medical errors.
The Dallas Medical Malpractice Attorneys with Ferrer, Poirot and Daniel would like to remind patients to never hesitate to question or seek a second opinion if you feel the care you are receiving from a medical professional is not up to par.