A representative of Rachel Cox named Joleen K. Youngers, has filed a wrongful suit against Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center. The suit, which was filed against the hospital and a nurse, claim that Cox died after being overdosed with epinephrine.
According to the suit, Cox went to the hospital on June 25th and died four days later on June 29th.
Cox entered the hospital on June 25th with a swollen upper lip. According to the suit, her vitals were normal and nothing about her seemed out of the ordinary at the time. The doctor diagnosing her at the time, Dr. Jonathan Severy, ordered the nurses to give Cox .3 milligrams of epinephrine through an injection. However, the suit alleges that the nurse, Susan B. Edwards, administered 3 milligrams of the drug, ten times the amount, through an IV instead.
This lead to Cox having issues breathing and going into cardiac and respiratory arrest, the complaint alleges. Cox needed resuscitation to survive at the time.
After being brought back, Cox was transported to the University of Colorado hospital in Denver. She died there 4 days later on June 29.
According to the suit, Edwards is accused of pulling Dr. Severy aside and told him “under oath” (it is unclear what the circumstances of this is) what had happened. Dr Severy then told Edwards that the records should “reflect exactly what happened.” The nurse subsequently made an entry saying she used the IV push, instead of going the subcutaneous route, “because Dr. Severy had verbally modified his previous order to this effect.” Severy has not been listed as a defendant.
The hospital has not provided any response to the media about the suit itself. A spokesman for the hospital named Arturo Delgado did tell the media “Our hearts go out to anyone that experiences the loss of a loved one, but we can’t comment on pending litigation.”
A few things still remain unclear. Cox has no date of birth or age listed in the law suit. Also, the relationship between Cox and Youngers also remains a mystery.
