Daughter dead from head injury, Father charged Christus with wrongful death

Robert Bowden, beneficiary of Zora Bowden who was hit by a car while backing out from a parking lot of a grocery store and rushed to the Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in Texas but died a few days after the incident due to subdural hematoma, charged the hospital and Zora's attending physicians of wrongful death suit. Bowden filed the lawsuit with the Jefferson County District Court on August 13.

Los Angeles, California, August 17, 2007 – Zora Bowden died of blood collecting on the surface of the brain or as said, subdural hematoma. According allegations by Bowden, if Drs. Kandasmi Senthilkumar and Kenneth Wilgers who were the attending physicians for Zora, did not wait long enough to conduct a CT scan she would not have died.

According to an account from the original petition of Bowden, as the plaintiff, regarding the circumstances of Zora's death, she was admitted to Christus immediately after the car hit her on August 20, 2005.

The next day after her admittance, a neurology consult was ordered since the patient had a decreased level of consciousness, based from the suit. However, Dr. Senthilkumar considered that Zora's change in mental status was the effect of pain medication administered to her. Thus, he put off ordering conduct of CT scan of neither Zora's (Ms. Bowden, according to the lawsuit papers) brain nor any other tests be conducted during that time.

Moreover, the suit also states that the two attending physicians failed to conduct a follow up on Zora's condition for August 22 to 23.

Based from the suit, "Bowden's condition continued to deteriorate. Dr. Senthilkumar saw Bowden once again on Aug. 24 and once again failed to order a CT scan." Subsequently, Dr. Senthilkumar checked on Ms. Bowden again the following day, August 25, 2005, and ordered a CT scan, finally.

The CT Scan then revealed subdural hematoma. However, it was already "too late as Bowden's condition had deteriorated such that surgery would not be of any benefit," based from the suit.

Thus, according to the suit, the defendants' negligence caused Bowden to suffer severe pain and died, ultimately by August 27, 2005.

The suit charged Christus and the attending physicians for Bowden of medical negligence, for allegedly failing to meet the standard of care common and qualified healthcare providers would have done in such cases.

The plaintiff is seeking for the recovery of survival damages because of the mental distress and the anguish experienced by Ms. Bowden directly caused by the mistreatment and negligence alleged in the suit.
Plaintiff is also suing for medical expenses, funeral, burial and other death related expenses incurred and for pecuniary loss.


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