Parents of five-time ‘Jeopardy!’ winner Brayden Smith sue hospital over his death

The parents of five-time Jeopardy! champion Brayden Smith are suing the hospital that treated him shortly before his death, saying that medical staff failed to provide the care that could have saved his life.

Smith, who was from Las Vegas, was 24 when he died on Feb. 5, 2021. He was one of the last contestants to appear in episodes with Alex Trebek before the iconic host’s death and was the last champion with a five-day winning streak during Trebek’s tenure, media outlets report.

Trebek gave Smith the affectionate nickname “Billy Buzzsaw,” and his winning streak was regarded by some fans as a parting gift to Trebek, who continued to host the show as he grappled with pancreatic cancer, Entertainment Weekly reported.

Smith qualified for the next Tournament of Champions, but died of complications from surgery before he could compete, 8 News Now reported.

His parents, Debbie and Scott Smith, said in the lawsuit that their son’s last days “were a nightmare” and that his death was “preordained by the misconduct of doctors and nurses” at Dignity Health’s St. Rose Dominican Hospital’s Siena Campus in Henderson, just outside Las Vegas.

Dignity Health did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News, and the Smiths’ attorney did not offer additional comment on the case.

According to the complaint, which names the hospital, two doctors, one nurse, and other members of nursing staff as defendants, Smith underwent colon removal surgery at the hospital on Jan. 15, 2021, to help treat his ulcerative colitis. A doctor retained by his parents’ attorney wrote that Smith was “malnourished, was extremely weak, and was a very ill young man” when he was hospitalized.

“He was having over 10 bloody bowel movements a day, was in pain, and was tachycardic,” the doctor wrote.

The suit says that Smith was not given heparin or other anticoagulants after the surgery, and that as a result, he developed pulmonary emboli – or blood clots in the lungs – and died shortly after.

The complaint states that medical staff at the hospital “had a duty to care for and treat their patients in a reasonable, prudent and appropriate manner,” and that they “breached said duty,” causing severe physical pain and suffering that led to Smith’s death.

Court documents included written testimony from two doctors and a nurse, who said that they reviewed Brayden’s medical records and believed he should have been treated with anticoagulants and discharged from the hospital later than he ultimately was

The suit seeks damages and attorney fees.

Smith was a 2020 graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, a National Merit Scholar semifinalist, and a Quiz Bowl veteran, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. He earned $115,798 during his five “Jeopardy!” appearances, and he hoped to become a lawyer, 8 News Now reported.

After his death, “Jeopardy!’ guest host Buzzy Cohen honored him on the show and announced a donation to a fund established in his name, Entertainment Weekly reported.

“[Trebek] did, I believe, really like Brayden,” executive producer Mike Richards previously told Entertainment Weekly. “I could tell that he very much enjoyed that young man, and that was fun to watch. I think that energized him.”

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