CHARLESTON – The estate of a Jackson County woman says family members found her unconscious and unresponsive in her hospital bed following leg surgery.
Donna Richards, administratrix of the estate of Trissa May White, filed her complaint October 2 in Kanawha Circuit Court against Charleston Area Medical Center.
diTrapano
“CAMC had to be told by the family members of that Ms. White was unresponsive while in their care post-surgery,” attorney L. Dante diTrapano told The West Virginia Record. “She never regained consciousness. This should never happen while the patient is in the hospital under a doctor’s care.
“To have this kind of unnecessary death in this day and age constitutes a complete disregard for the health and safety of the patient.”
White suffered an upper femur fracture in a fall at her home March 1, 2024, according to the complaint. She was transported to Jackson General Hospital and then transferred to CAMC just past midnight on March 2. She had an orthopedic consult, and the orthopedist recommended surgery to treat the fracture.
She suffered from other comorbidities, including diabetes mellitus and advanced coronary disease with multiple blockages. Because of the urgent need for surgery, White did not undergo a preoperative cardiac assessment. She had the surgery on the afternoon of March 2.
In the early evening of March 3, her family members arrived to find White unresponsive in her hospital bed. She had no pulse, was cold to touch and had a blue tint around her mouth.
The complaint says CAMC employees were unaware of White’s condition until being notified by her family members. Staffers were able to regain her pulse after about 10 minutes of advanced cardiovascular life support, according to the complaint. But her condition deteriorated quickly, and she required three more rounds of ACLS to regain a pulse.
She never regained consciousness after being found by her family. Further assessment showed White had suffered a pulseless electrical activity cardiac arrest. An exam showed she had gone without oxygen for more than 20 minutes, and an MRI showed extensive hypoxic brain damage. An ensuing EEG showed she had suffered a severe brain injury.
White remained unconscious and mechanically ventilated until her death on March 6, 2024.
The estate accuses CAMC of medical negligence and vicarious liability. It seeks compensatory damages for pain and suffering, medical and burial expenses and other losses. It also seeks punitive damages, pre- and post-judgment interests, court costs, attorney fees and other relief.
The estate is being represented by diTrapano, Charles F. Bellomy and Timothy D. Houston of Calwell Luce diTrapano in Charleston. The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Stephanie Abraham.
Kanawha Circuit Court case number 25-C-1160
