Family of woman who died in Amherst ER suing Nova Scotia Health
The family of a woman who died in an emergency room in Amherst, N.S., is suing the province's health authority.
Allison Holthoff died on Dec. 31 after waiting more than seven hours to see a doctor at the Cumberland Regional Health Care Centre.
Her family alleges Nova Scotia Health failed to meet the standard of care for a patient, according to a news release from Valent Legal, who is representing the family.
"The loss suffered by Allison's family is unimaginable and seemingly would have been entirely avoidable had reasonable care been taken to what was an obviously life-threatening situation," lawyer Mike Dull said in the release.
In the statement of claim, the family said the health authority and the emergency physician on duty didn't test and treat Holthoff in an adequate and timely manner.
The mother of three died about eight hours after she was triaged by nurses for complications associated with an untreated splenic artery aneurysm, the claim said.
It said the physician "failed to consider a possible splenic artery aneurysm as being causative of the deceased's symptoms and order appropriate imaging tests."
The allegations have not been tested in court.
The Health Department told CBC News it will not comment on ongoing legal action.
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