Posted: 7/30/2008 7:26:15 PM EDT
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Hospital, Police Settle With Marietta Family Claiming Son Died From Surgery Delay POSTED: 4:09 pm EDT July 29, 2008 UPDATED: 6:25 pm EDT July 29, 2008 MARIETTA, Ga. -- A Marietta family has settled out of court with Kennestone Hospital and the Marietta Police Department. The settlement for an undisclosed amount of money comes nearly seven years after their son died of head injuries from a football game. The Daltons claimed their son died when the surgeon who might have saved him was arrested and taken away by police for a minor wreck on the way to the hospital. “My last words to him were, ‘Please be careful,’” said mother Debbie Dalton. September 30, 2001 was the last time Debbie saw her 16-year-old son, Brad, alive. He took a rough hit in a sandlot football game and was rushed to Kennestone Hospital with head injuries. The doctor called to perform emergency surgery was arrested in the ER by Marietta and Cobb County police for a fender bender he had on the way to the hospital. “My son laid back there, needing emergency surgery, and they take and drag this doctor out of the hospital to go sit in the back of a police car,” said father Kevin Dalton. “It just doesn’t make any sense as to why he wasn’t allowed to the surgery. He wasn’t a flight risk,” said Debbie. Another surgeon was called in. The Daltons said their son’s surgery was delayed by more than a half hour. It’s a delay they believe might have made the difference between life and death. “They gave him between a ten to forty percent chance of living, but how can you say? He wasn’t given that opportunity,” said Debbie. The Daltons said they believe the Marietta police officer who detained the doctor was on a power trip. “She thought if she, you know, busted a neurosurgeon that she would get a promotion. I mean, that’s kind of what we were told,” said Debbie. The officer is no longer with the department. The brain surgeon still works at Kennestone Hospital but has never talked about the case. Brad Dalton would have been 23 now. The Daltons said they live on by concentrating on what they had and not what they lost. “When God gives you a child, you are not guaranteed any amount of time with him. I always feel blessed that I had 16 wonderful years with him,” said Debbie. In reaching a settlement, Kennestone Hospital and the Marietta Police Department did not admit guilt or any wrongdoing in the case. |
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