Boy died hours after he was diagnosed with earache. His Missouri mom is awarded $1.8M
Kassie McAtee knew something was wrong with her toddler son.
He was pale, cold, clammy and acting lethargic.
The Missouri mom took 1-year-old Kyler George to an urgent care clinic at CoxHealth Hospital Branson in June 2017. There, a physician’s assistant diagnosed him with an earache and sent them home without conducting a complete examination, McAtee’s attorneys said.
Three hours later, Kyler died.
“This is a daily hell that I live, because somebody didn’t take the time to do their job,” McAtee told KOLR.
Earlier this month, the law firm of Johnson, Vorhees and Martucci said a jury awarded McAttee nearly $3.2 million in damages. The judgment was reduced to $1.8 million after trial because Missouri law limits noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases, the law firm said.
In a statement, CoxHealth told KOLR it believes appropriate care was provided in Kyler’s case.
“This belief is also supported by external experts in the field,” the statement said. “While we support our judicial system, we do not agree with this decision. That does not change the tragic reality, and our sympathies remain with the family during this time.”
When Kyler was 5 months old, he was seen at a primary care clinic at CoxHealth after suffering a persistent fever for 10 days. A nurse practitioner diagnosed him with pneumonia, though he didn’t exhibit other signs of pneumonia, attorneys said.
Kyler had actually been suffering from Kawasaki disease, attorneys said. Kawasaki disease causes medium-size arteries to swell throughout the body and primarily affects children, according to Mayo Clinic.
“Signs of Kawasaki disease, such as a high fever and peeling skin, can be frightening,” according to Mayo Clinic. “The good news is that Kawasaki disease is usually treatable, and most children recover from Kawasaki disease without serious problems.”
But Kyler’s illness went untreated, allowing blood clots to grow into “giant aneurysms,” attorneys said.
“Without treatment, Kyler’s heart became a ticking time bomb,” Johnson, Vorhees & Martucci said.
The law firm said emergency treatment during his final visit to the CoxHealth urgent care clinic could have saved the boy’s life.
“If nobody is held accountable, how do things change?” McAtee told the trial jury, according to the law firm. “You have to fight for what is right.”
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