Investigation Demanded After Coney Island Hospital Death

doctor with patient

The family of a woman who died in Coney Island Hospital is demanding a state investigation into the circumstances of her death and alleging that medical malpractice may have been involved. Grisel Soto, 47, entered the hospital on January 31 in apparent agony, holding her head and unable to communicate. The nurse who first saw her wrongly assumed that she was having a reaction to synthetic marijuana.

Her husband, Jorge Matos, 48, said that the treatment she received was so inadequate that it “basically … killed” her. Soto was restrained and given a tranquilizer after she entered the emergency room screaming and holding her head. She died after suffering cardiac arrest five times over the course of ten hours. Matos notes that she was never even seen by a doctor. He also has stated that his wife never used drugs in the 23 years that he knew her.

An investigation by the medical examiner is now underway to determine the cause of Soto’s death. They are considering the possibility that Soto had bacterial meningitis.

Hospital death called a “real-life nightmare”

Soto had been suffering flu-like symptoms and an ear infection the week before she entered the emergency room. Matos said that his wife got out of bed screaming and holding her head and that “she couldn’t see, she couldn’t hear. She couldn’t talk. She was down on her hands and knees like a dog.”
Matos said that after tying up and sedating his wife, the hospital took only blood and urine samples, but provided no additional treatment. He said the he watched, horrified as his wife struggled to breath during her last hours.

They locked us up in a room and they just basically left us there, they left her there to die,” Matos added.“They called an ICU doctor, the ICU doctor said, ‘I can’t take her, she’s not going to make it to the elevator.’”

A lawyer for the family called Soto’s death a “real-life nightmare.” Before her misdiagnosis and untimely death, Soto was a wife, mother, and grandmother. Among survivors are to minor girls, daughter’s of Matos’ adult son, whom the couple were in the process of adopting. She has been cremated and the family plans to scatter her ashes in the Atlantic.

Hospital malpractice alleged

The family’s lawyer added that “To let a woman die when she could’ve been saved is simply unacceptable in this city. This is a tragedy that never should have happened, clearly there’s something wrong with the delivery of health services in our city hospitals. This must change.” Another attorney familiar with the case summarized that “Basically, we’re medically dealing with a situation with a woman who had signs and symptoms of an infection that went unrecognizeddiagnosed.”Coney Island hospital refused to comment on the case itself for reasons related to patient confidentiality.

If you believe that substandard treatment in a New York hospital led to the injury or death of your loved one, the hospital malpractice attorneys at The Sanders Firm can explain your legal options and rights to compensation.

Please call 1.800 FAIR PLAY (800.324.7752) to arrange for a free case evaluation at your convenience. Resources

  1. NY CBS Local, Family Demands Action After Woman Dies at Coney Island Hospital http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2016/02/12/coney-island-hospital-death/
  2. NY Daily News, EXCLUSIVE: Death of woman at Coney Island Hospital under investigation for possible botched treatment http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/death-woman-coney-island-hospital-investigation-article-1.2528690