Jury finds PeaceHealth, ER doctor not liable for misdiagnosing patient’s stroke

A patient at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham, Wash., lost her medical malpractice lawsuit after a three-week jury trial returned verdicts in favor of the defendants.

Patricia Parker and her husband Carson sued an emergency room physician at PeaceHealth, alleging that he misdiagnosed Patricia’s 2019 medical event, which turned out to be a stroke.

According to the claim, Patricia arrived at the hospital complaining of severe headaches, vision loss and confusion, resulting in permanent injuries. The couple alleged that the attending physician, Ralph Weiche, MD, did not properly investigate the symptoms, which led to delayed treatment. 

She was allegedly diagnosed with an acute psychiatric condition, despite actively suffering from a stroke. No parties in the case seemed to dispute that claim. Instead, arguments focused on the question of whether or not staff responsible for Patricia's care acted negligently.

PeaceHealth and three nurses were also named in the lawsuit, which sought $24 million in damages. The case, which was never settled outside of court, ended up being tried in front of a jury who, after half a day of deliberations, ruled that Weiche followed standard medical protocols and did not act negligently.

During the trial, experts argued that they had never seen a stroke present in quite the way Patricia’s did, leading to the differential diagnosis. In defending her client, defense attorney Michele Atkins argued that “only with the benefit of hindsight” would it have been reasonable for Weiche or the nurses to assume they were dealing with a life-threatening emergency.

Further, the defense pointed to testimony from nurses and other medical experts at PeaceHealth, with whom Weiche consulted about Patricia’s condition. This was done to counter claims made by the plaintiffs, who suggested that the doctor and clinicians ignored obvious signs and did not care for Patricia’s well-being.

Patricia was sent home, where her symptoms worsened. However, a jury found that neither the clinicians nor PeaceHealth were liable, as the outcome did not necessitate malpractice or negligence.

The couple was ultimately awarded nothing.

For more, read the full story from the Belligham Herald at the link below.