Cyclist's death leads to $23.3M medical malpractice verdict in Westchester. See why
A jury last week found Westchester Medical Center doctors and nurses failed to properly monitor for and prevent a blood clot that led to the death of an Ossining man, awarding his family $23.3 million in damages, court records show.
The patient, Jesus Eduardo Espitia, was being treated at Westchester Medical Center after suffering a traumatic brain injury during a hit-and-run accident while cycling. He worked as an accountant and died at age 48, leaving behind his wife and their two children.
It was the second high-profile courtroom loss in recent months for the Valhalla-based flagship of the WMC Health system, joining a $120 million malpractice verdict awarded in December involving delayed stroke treatment for a patient at the hospital.
Why Westchester jury awarded $23.3 million malpractice verdict
Espitia was an elite cyclist — cycling nearly 60 miles per day — and was sponsored by the Blue Ribbon cycling team, according to Caitlin Robin, the attorney representing his family in the case. He was admitted to Westchester Medical Center in October 2018 following the hit-and-run.
About a month after being admitted, Espitia had shown dramatic improvement from the initial brain injury and was set to be discharged to a rehabilitation facility. But before being discharged, a blood clot in his leg became a pulmonary embolism, resulting in a cardiac arrest that caused his death, according to court testimony and Robin.
Expert testimony in court asserted Espitia's death was due to doctors and nurses failing to properly monitor for signs and symptoms of deep vein thrombosis and apply sequential compression devices, which are used to prevent blood clots.
A lack of training in nursing staff in preventing deep vein thrombosis, as well as inadequate documentation of medical interventions, were also factors in the case, testimony shows.
A spokesperson for WMC Health declined to comment on the verdict.
Health care in court: Stroke treatment delay leads to biggest ever malpractice verdict in Westchester
What attorney says
The lawsuit was filed in state Supreme Court in June 2019, following Espitia's death on Dec. 23, 2018.
The case was tried before Judge Lewis Lubell in state Supreme Court in Westchester County.
"After a nearly six year battle, we're happy that a jury has held the (Westchester) Medical Center responsible for Mr. Espitia's untimely death," Robin said in a statement about the verdict.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Ossining man's family awarded damages in Westchester malpractice verdict
