New York Malpractice & Injury Lawyer Blog
A medical malpractice lawsuit has been filed in connection to the death of a man in Benton County Jail who was found unconscious and then later died at an area hospital.
According to court documents, the suit was filed in Benton County Circuit Court on behalf of the administrator of the estate of Jared Parks, Barbara Kelley. Dr. Dennis E. Hughes is the only defendant that has been named in the malpractice lawsuit.
Authorities say that Jared Parks, 23, of Bentonville had been found unconscious and discolored by jail staff just on April 9, 2014 after 5:00 a.m.
Parks was transported to Northwest Medical Center-Bentonville, where doctors placed him on a ventilator. Parks died at the hospital a few days later wen family members made the decision to take him off life support.
Park was treated at the Northwest Medical Center-Bentonville emergency room on April 8, 2014 when Bentonville police brought Parks to the emergency room after being refused to be admitted unless he received medical clearance by jail staff. Parks had been arrested for public intoxication.
Parks was told by police officers to sit on the hospital floor rather than have him fall in the waiting room. Parks’ level of intoxication deepened and it became more difficult to rouse him.
The complaint alleges that the administering physician, Dr. Hughes made an assessment of Parks’ condition and informed officers that he would check Parks’ blood and urine. A police officer informed Hughes about the complaint that Parks had ingested 10 Klonopin pills and eight methadone pills.
Hughes instead told officers that Parks’ blood alcohol content was low. Officers reiterated that they were concerned about the pills Parks had taken. Hughes continued to have difficulty in rousing Parks and told officers that he would be fine and just needed to “sleep it off.”
Parks was discharged from the hospital by Hughes without a drug test being administered or to correctly diagnose Parks’ condition and returned to jail.
Jail staff later found Parks in an unresponsive state and he was readmitted to the hospital for a drug overdose.
The plaintiffs allege that Dr. Hughes’ negligence was the cause of Parks’ death and they are seeking an unspecified amount in monetary damages.
It is unfortunate situation when a physician or other medical professional fails to act on the information they are given by patients and their loved ones, or in the case of Jared Parks, fails to listen to the police. When that happens, mistakes that can cause someone their life can occur. No matter who someone is, everyone has the right to expect a certain standard of care from medical professionals.
If you or a loved one has suffered as a result of medical malpractice or negligence, contact us today. At Bottar Law PLLC, we focus on medical malpractice cases and we have years of experience and expertise representing patients and their loved ones.
You may be entitled to compensation for your medical bills, continuing therapies, loss of income, as well as pain and suffering or other damages. Contact us today at our toll free number at 888) 979-1689, or at (315) 313-6809, or reach us by email at info@bottarlaw.com in order to schedule a free consultation and evaluation of your case.