A New York man has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against Coney Island Hospital in New York, alleging negligence led to the amputation of his leg. The plaintiff blames bureaucratic errors on a significant delay in emergency medical treatment that left surgeons with no other choice but to amputate his right leg above the knee.
Car accident sends plaintiff to hospital
On September 22, 2015, Delfino Cautle was involved in a traffic accident that sent him to the hospital. The emergency responders got Cautle to the hospital quickly and it was determined within the hour through a CT scan that Cautle required emergency vascular surgery to restore blood flow in his right leg. According to the Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, “Failure to revascularize within 6-8 hours results in an unacceptably high amputation rate.”
Tragically, Cautle was not treated within that time frame. At the time of Cautle’s admittance to Coney Island Hospital, there was no vascular surgeon present to perform the needed surgery. Doctors at Coney Island called an emergency number at Kings County Hospital in order to transfer Cautle there for his procedure. However, no one at Kings County answered the emergency phone and the staff at Coney Island Hospital was forced to leave numerous messages.
Surgery too late to save leg
The traffic accident had occurred at 6:00 a.m., but it was not until 2:00 p.m. that Cautle was finally transferred to Kings County Hospital for the surgery. Upon arrival, Kings County staff discovered Coney Island Hospital had failed to send the CT scan results with the patient, necessitating a second scan and another three-hour delay in Cautle’s surgery.
Cautle finally underwent vascular surgery at Kings County Hospital just after 7:00 p.m., more than 12 hours after the accident occurred. By then, it was too late to save Cautle’s leg and surgeons were forced to amputate.
The father of three has now filed a $24 million lawsuit against Coney Island Hospital, claiming malpractice and negligence of the staff led to the loss of his leg. His attorney told the New York Daily News, “On September 22, 2015, Delfino Cautle joined a series of patients victimized and disabled by the medical malpractice and mismanagement plaguing Coney Island Hospital.”
“Everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong,” the attorney added.
Coney Island Hospital hit with malpractice claims
This is not the first malpractice issue to arise at Coney Island Hospital this year. Just last month, a man filed a lawsuit against the hospital after his 47-year-old wife died of meningitis there in January 2015. Grisel Soto was misdiagnosed as suffering from a reaction to illegal substance or emotionally disturbed. She was strapped to a gurney and given anti-psychotic medication until she died of the infection ravishing her brain. The hospital was also charged with six violations by the state health department for their treatment of Soto.
Victims of medical mistakes have avenues for legal recovery, enabling injured patients and their families to seek compensation for lost income, medical bills, loss of future earnings, as well as pain and emotional suffering.
To speak with a reputable malpractice attorney in NYC, contact The Sanders Firm at 1.800.FAIR.PLAY. Leveraging more than 45 years of trial experience, our lawyers have won millions on behalf of clients. Our legal team has the experience and resources to successfully handle complex cases resulting from all forms of surgical negligence.
