Industry News | 09.04.25
Nurses ‘Showed No Urgency’ as Man Died in Central Valley ER Hallway, Report Says
By NAMSS Staff
Fresno Bee (08/27/25) Montalvo, Melissa
In Visalia, California, the family of a man who died in a hallway of Kaweah Health Medical Center’s emergency department has filed a wrongful death lawsuit, contending the staff "carelessly" failed to triage their father in a timely manner as he experienced heart failure. On Oct. 1, 2023, 60-year-old Erick Burger called 911 and reported chest pain and shortness of breath. Within minutes of arriving at Kaweah Health, he went into cardiac arrest, a state investigation report found. He was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later. The state investigation, a former staffer, a lawsuit, and a paramedic report all allege two emergency department nurses, unnamed in the lawsuit, "were just sitting around and showed no urgency" when Burger was brought into the hospital. Paramedics called ahead to the ER staff to let them know they were arriving in 10 minutes and Burger would need to be seen immediately. Nathaniel Leeds, the Burger family’s attorney, issued a statement that read: "Our emergency rooms are one of the few places in our society where everyone should expect dignity, and to be treated equally, regardless of their background; it is heartbreaking when hospital staff does not appreciate the importance of their own mission.” The two nurses could have their licenses revoked.
Read the full story from Fresno Bee.