A jury has returned a plaintiff's verdict against NYC Health + Hospitals in a wrongful death case involving a 23-year-old woman who died after seeking emergency care at Woodhull Hospital in February 2020. The verdict, announced by the Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Firm, comes after roughly one hour and 44 minutes of deliberation and brings attention to the consequences of delayed treatment in public hospital emergency rooms.
The lawsuit, litigated by attorneys Kevin Lee and Rikki Dascal, centered on a 12-hour gap between the woman's admission and the start of insulin treatment for diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening condition that occurs when a lack of insulin allows the blood to turn acidic. According to the firm, lab results available within hours of her arrival showed signs consistent with pancreatitis, but hospital physicians treated only the pancreatitis and did not address the underlying diabetic ketoacidosis. During cross-examination, the treating physician conceded that the delay in starting insulin fell below an acceptable standard of care. Even after insulin was administered, the wrong type was given for her condition, and the woman's condition continued to worsen due to blood loss. She died two and a half weeks after first arriving at the hospital.
Physician experts from Harvard Medical School and Johns Hopkins Medical School testified that the 12-hour treatment delay significantly reduced her chance of survival. In his opening statement, Kevin Lee told the jury, "She did not receive the medication she needed. She did not receive the fluid that she needed. And we will contend the evidence will show that she lost a substantial chance at surviving." In closing arguments, Rikki Dascal urged jurors to hold the hospital to the same standard as any other New York City facility, saying, "This trial is your opportunity to hold a hospital in your community to the same standard of care as any other hospital in New York City. Regardless of which hospital our client walked into, she should have received the same level of care."
NYC Health + Hospitals argued at trial that a busy emergency room contributed to the delay, an argument the jury rejected. The outcome carries broader implications for how emergency care is delivered across the city's public hospital system. The firm points to research showing that low-income and minority patients face longer emergency room wait times and lower quality care more often than other patients, and says the verdict underscores the need for consistent treatment standards regardless of a hospital's location or patient population. The case adds to the firm's record in wrongful death litigation against public and private medical providers and highlights the importance of legal representation for families affected by hospital negligence. The firm's wrongful death lawyers have represented patients and families harmed by delayed diagnoses and treatment failures at hospitals throughout New York City for over five decades. Attorneys Kevin Lee and Rikki Dascal litigated the case on the family's behalf, securing a verdict that may influence how hospitals address triage and treatment protocols in busy emergency departments.
