Emergency Room Hold-Up, Murder Victim's Family Gets $30M

Emergency Room Hold-Up, Murder Victim's Family Gets $30M

Introduction

Murder victim’s family was granted $30 million by Tuscaloosa County jury, who waited for hours in the emergency room to see a surgeon at DCH Regional Medical Center following a shootout.

On Dec. 27, 2013, a gunfight broke out near Ash Street in west Tuscaloosa. The victim was a bystander who got struck by a stray bullet. He was rushed to DCH Regional Medical Center, but the on-call surgeon who was performing an elective surgery did not see the victim. This resulted in the death of the victim in the emergency room. The family of the homicide victim filed a medical malpractice suit against DCH Healthcare Authority and other health care providers.

The trial began on May 6, before Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court Judge James Roberts with the jury granting the verdict in favor of the victim's family.