In September 2014, Aaron Martineau was incorrectly diagnosed with chest pain by a Springfield hospital, claiming that the chest pains he was suffering from, were unrelated to his heart. He died the next day, just five days before his 29th birthday. Following his passing, a wrongful death claim of $10 million was filed on his behalf. The claim was filed against the doctors who treated Martineau, in addition to the McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center.
Martineau’s widow, Jamie, filed the lawsuit, alleging that her husband, Aaron Martineau went to the hospital for treatment and was sent home. The lawsuit claims that, on September 2, 2014, Martineau complained of chest pain, a slowed heart rate and shortness of breath. At that visit, a list of potential diagnoses was prepared by a physician’s assistant, which outlined that his conditions could be related to his lungs and heart and could be life-threatening. He was released from the hospital when doctors determined that his chest pain was unrelated to his heart, following a review of his X-ray. The next day, Martineau passed away from an aortic dissection. An aortic dissection is a rare heart condition that occurs when a blood vessel tears and ruptures outside of the blood vessel’s wall. Aortic dissections are fatal in most situations. Diagnoses for this is often delayed due to symptoms being commonly found in other diseases. If caught quickly, chances for survival improve dramatically.
Martineau’s wife claims that his misdiagnoses in the emergency room at the hospital was due to hospital staff not administering rigorous enough testing or exams to rule out his condition. Jamie is asking for a total of $10 million. A large portion of this claim, $6.5 million, is for emotional damages to help her family recover from his passing and the pain and distress that he suffered from following his discharge from the hospital. The remaining $3.5 million will be for recovery of financial losses from Aaron’s funeral and medical expenses. This also includes his future earning capacity as he provided financial support to his family. When local media reached out to the Martineau family, they declined to comment. The defendants have not yet formally responded.
A family can be emotionally and financially devastated when a loved one passes away. Speak with a wrongful death attorney such as the wrongful death lawyer Phoenix, AZ locals trust regarding the details of your case if you, or someone you know has lost a loved one due to another party’s negligence.
