Woman neglected medical treatment; dies in hospital ER

June 14, 2007

A woman died in the emergency room of Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital allegedly as a result of neglect on the part of the emergency room staff.

Edith Rodriguez, 43, died on the floor of the Martin Luther King-Harbor Hospital after numerous pleas for help. ER staff are reported to have ignored her complaints and she subsequently died as a result of her illness. The official cause of death was a perforated bowel.

It has been suggested that this isn't the first time that a death has resulted from apparent neglect at MLK-Harbor Hospital. In March of 2003, Oluchi Oliver, 20, died in that same emergency room, relatives complain that he, too, was neglected. The 20-year old died 10 hours after complaining of abdominal pains.

"She was lying in a fetal position crying on the floor and no one would help her," her lawyer is reported to have said. "The security guards were on notice that she was laying there. The police were on notice that she was laying there. The hospital staff was on notice she was laying there."

The Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital has 23 days to reform their emergency room protocol or it will lose its certification and be shut down.