The family of an Indiana girl who beat cancer sued the Illinois hospital that sent her home with a toxic dose of prescription painkillers, resulting in her death.
According to the lawsuit filed in Cook County, Illinois, Ava Wilson, 11, was in remission from b-lymphoblastic leukemia when she went to a follow-up appointment at Advocate Children’s Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois, on October 29, 2020.
According to the Wilsons’ family attorney, Ava was “crying in pain” and having difficulty walking during their meeting with a nurse practitioner. Lab tests revealed that Ava had “low platelet counts, low blood cell counts, and high liver enzymes” in addition to low blood pressure.
The Wilsons’ attorneys, from Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C., stated that rather than admitting Ava to monitor her troubling symptoms, the girl was sent home with increased morphine and gabapentin dosages.
On the night of October 31, 2020, Ava died in her sleep after tests revealed lethal levels of morphine in her blood.
According to the civil complaint reviewed by Law&Crime, Ava was prescribed 100 mg of gabapentin three times per day and 15 mg of morphine every four hours as needed following her visit on October 29, 2020.
Both medication doses were significant increases over what Ava had previously been taking. The Wilsons’ attorney also stated in a press release that “[w]hen taken together, the medications can make each other stronger.”
According to the complaint, Ava’s regular oncologist did not see her at her final appointment, but she “endorsed” the new treatment plan for “at-home pain management.” The oncologist was not a defendant in the suit.
Lead trial attorney Matthew L. Williams told the court, “Instead of admitting Ava to the hospital to get her blood pressure, heart rate, and pain levels within acceptable and normal limits, Advocate employees sent Ava home” with “excessive” pain medication.
“Ava’s body was yelling out to these clinicians, ‘help me!’ and they just ignored it,” she said.
The hospital staff, represented by Hall Prangle LLC attorneys, claimed that Ava’s symptoms during her appointment were consistent with leukemia complications. They also stated that the medications prescribed fell “within the recommended range.”
During the trial, which began on May 29, a forensic neuropathologist testified that Ava’s death was caused by the amount and combination of medications in her system. The Wilsons’ attorneys stated in a press release that Ava died of “acute combined drug toxicity of morphine, hydroxyzine, and gabapentin.”
On June 10, a jury ruled in favor of the Wilsons, awarding Ava’s surviving family members $20,500,000 for “their past and future loss of society, as well as past and future grief, sorrow, and mental suffering.”
Aaron D. Boeder, another member of the Wilsons’ legal team, stated in the press release, “While nothing can alleviate the depth of Ava’s loved ones’ pain, the family appreciates that the jury recognized that Ava’s death was preventable and that she should still be with them today.
Law&Crime contacted Advocate Health and Hospitals Corporation, but did not receive an immediate response.
A spokesperson told McClatchy News, “Our hearts go out to this family.” We are committed to providing appropriate care to all patients. We are unable to provide further comment due to patient privacy concerns.”
