Family of man who died of a heart attack settles lawsuit for $1.9M after error led to delayed care
The family of a man who died from a myocardial infarction in 2021 has settled a lawsuit against the city of Seattle for nearly $1.9 million.
According to a new report from Fox 13 in Seattle, William Yurek started experiencing severe chest pain on Nov. 21, 2021, and his son swiftly called 911 for help. That help did arrive, but EMTs were ordered to wait outside for a police escort—Yurek’s house, it turned out, was inaccurately labeled as a combative environment in the dispatcher’s computer. This created a 13-minute delay, and the EMTs eventually just went on in without the police escort due to concerns for Yurek’s health. Yurek did not survive the incident.
The family filed a $10 million lawsuit against Seattle over the situation in 2022, alleging that Yurek would still be alive if he had been treated in a more timely matter. It was officially settled for $1.86 million, and the city said it would be making adjustments to prevent similar issues from occurring in the future.
“The family wanted justice and accountability,” Mark Lindquist, the family’s attorney, told Fox 13. “They are pleased the case was resolved justly and fairly. Additionally, we are pleased the city took steps to fix this issue so it won't happen again.”
Click the link below for the full story from Fox 13:
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.