18 Year Old Dies After Denial Of Treatment At Westport Village Norton Immediate Care In Louisville, Kentucky
18 year old Cody Johns of Sellersburg, Indiana died from a heat stroke he suffered after working outside all day in Louisville, Kentucky at a landscaping job. After complaining of overheating and becoming disoriented, his co-workers placed him in an air conditioned pickup truck. When that did not work, they took him to the Norton Immediate Care Center at Westport Village. His stepfather, with whom he works, went inside to describe Mr. Johns' symptoms and was told that they could not help and that he needed to go to an emergency room. The co-workers then called Louisville Metro EMS from the parking lot and waited for them to arrive. They immediately began working on Mr. Johns and transported him to the hospital, but it was too late. Norton denies that they denied treatment to Mr. Johns.
Bill Smock, an emergency room physician, said that these events disturb him and was critical of Norton. Even if Mr. Johns need a hospital emergency room, the immediate care facility could have at least started offering some treatment, such as trying to cool him down.
From a legal perspective, there are a number of issues that arise. First, because Mr. Johns was working at the time this occurred, a workers' compensation claim is viable. Then, a medical malpractice/wrongful death claim can also be brought against Norton for the denial of medical treatment. Regardless, it is imperative that a full investigation promptly take place to determine exactly what happened and to make sure evidence is preserved. Hiring an attorney experienced in handling these types of cases will know what to do to in order to achieve those goals.
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