Community Corner Jury Awards Stamford Man’s Estate $5.5M In Medical Malpractice Case A verdict was delivered on April 12 after a brief trial in Stamford Superior Court.
A trial at Stamford Superior Court began in March, and a verdict was delivered on April 12. (Shutterstock)
STAMFORD, CT — A jury last week awarded a Stamford man’s estate $5.5 million following a brief trial that stemmed from a medical malpractice lawsuit filed in March 2020.
According to the lawsuit, Felix Mejia, 69, went to the Stamford Hospital Emergency Room on Sept. 18, 2018, complaining of diarrhea and abdominal cramping. Mejia underwent several tests, and was diagnosed with “traveler’s diarrhea,” the lawsuit claimed.
He returned to the hospital again with the same symptoms on Sept. 22, and a CT scan showed Mejia’s superior mesenteric artery (SMA), which provides blood flow to small intestines, and his celiac artery, appeared “stenotic,” or narrowed, the lawsuit claimed. Mejia was discharged but returned to the hospital late on Sept. 24 with a chief complaint of vomiting, diarrhea, and persistent abdominal pain, and he was admitted for further evaluation on Sept. 25, according to the lawsuit.
A CT angiogram determined Mejia was suffering from “severe chronic mesenteric ischemia,” the lawsuit claimed. According to the Mayo Clinic, the condition happens when narrowed or blocked arteries restrict blood flow to the small intestine.
The medical record on Sept. 26 noted that a surgical procedure to repair the artery would not be performed until the following week, the lawsuit claimed. On Sept. 27, Mejia suffered cardiac arrest and needed to be resuscitated. He later underwent exploratory surgery, suffered cardiac arrest again and could not be revived, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit, which was filed by Mejia’s widow, Angela Cadavid, claimed Mejia’s death was caused by negligence, and that Emergency Medicine Physicians of New Haven County, Dr. Ryosuke Ito and Vanie Mangal, a physician’s assistant, “failed to properly examine, test, monitor, diagnose, and render appropriate treatment.” A trial at Stamford Superior Court began in March, and a verdict was delivered on April 12. “We’re very happy with how the evidence went in and we felt the jury really understood from the beginning what happened to Mr. Mejia and how he should have been kept in the hospital, and ultimately, if he had been, he’d still be here with us,” said attorney Michael Kennedy, of Kennedy Johnson Schwab & Roberge, who represented Cadavid and Mejia’s estate. Kennedy told Patch that Mejia and his wife came to the United States in the 1980s to create a better life for their children. They settled in Stamford, where Mejia worked in construction and Cadavid worked as a cleaner in both commercial and residentials settings. “They worked up to buy a house, and really had the American dream of establishing themselves here as immigrants and living here,” Kennedy said, noting the couple was in the process of retiring back to Colombia.
The family hopes that as a result of the verdict, future similar situations will be handled differently, Kennedy said. “This [verdict] really substantiates Felix’s life and their claims,” Kennedy said. “They were very happy with the result.”
Patch reached out to attorney Frederick Trotta, who represented the defendants, for comment on Friday but did not hear back.
Jury Awards Stamford Man’s Estate $5.5M In Medical Malpractice Case
