It was another routine day at the Levinson family home.
Shifra, the mother of the family, in her 50s, has dealt with several health problems in recent years, but not ones that interfere with maintaining a busy routine and enjoying the comforts of the children and grandchildren who crowd the house with their dozens.
A little diabetes, a little heart disease. How do you say? It happens in the best families. Not something that required special or unusual attention from her. The house went on with a typical daily routine until late in the evening, during which time Shifra began to feel discomfort in her chest area and a general weakness spread throughout her body.
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When the bad feelings intensified, Shifra and her husband went to the emergency room near her home. There, they performed minor tests on her and released her home with encouragement to engage in activities that would bring sugar balance within the community and a recommendation to have an echocardiogram and cardiac mapping.
Shifra returned home without any warning bells ringing in her mind. She intended to continue her normal routine and, at the first opportunity, go for the tests recommended by the doctors at the emergency room.
The complacency of medical officials will cost her dearly.
The next afternoon, Shifra began to feel intense pain again and rushed to call her husband to come home. Reuven, her husband, would never forget those minutes. Upon entering the house, he noticed his wife lying on the floor. The emergency services who were called gave up and were forced to pronounce her dead to the sound of the screams of the family members who had already gathered at the scene.
After the painful funeral procession, the family members sat down and tried to recall whether, over the years, they had ever heard from the doctors at the health insurance company where their mother was insured, a statement that would have made them understand the risk their mother was in.
Moreover, the emergency room doctors who treated her apparently showed appalling negligence when, despite her medical history and description of the pain in her chest area, they were content with mere recommendations and released her home instead of referring her to the emergency room.
The family turned to Attorney Nathaniel Roth, who deals with tort law and medical negligence, and asked him to get into the thick of it. Attorney Roth examined the case and quickly came to the conclusion that it was a case of serious negligence that led to the death of the mother of the family at a young age.
His office contacted senior doctors in the relevant fields and asked them for professional opinions regarding the treatment given to the woman at the health insurance company, particularly on the day she went to the emergency room.
From the documents submitted to the court, one can get an impression of the extent of the serious negligence and lack of professionalism that, as mentioned, led to the tragic outcome.
Following the findings, Attorney Roth filed a compensation claim with the Central District Court against the health fund and the front-line emergency department, demanding payment of the expenses of the death, the mental anguish, the loss of earnings, and the expenses associated with the consequences of the death, which on the face of it could have been prevented with proper professional conduct.
The total compensation may exceed NIS 2.5 million.
