Three more wrongful death lawsuits were filed Tuesday against Mount Carmel Health System and fired doctor William Husel. That brings the total number of suits to 19.
Attorney Gerald Leeseberg filed the lawsuits in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas behalf of three patients who died at Mount Carmel West Hospital under Husel’s care.
Sherry White died September 26, 2014 after receiving 200 micrograms of the pain medication fentanyl, which were ordered by Husel. She is the earliest known patient identified for receiving what Mount Carmel calls an “excessive and potentially fatal” dose of pain medication.
Virginia Brokamp died May 7, 2017 after receiving a 200 micrograms dose of fentanyl ordered by Husel.
Timeline: The Mount Carmel Scandal So Far
The third suit was filed on behalf of Michael Walters, who died October 11, 2017 after receiving 500 micrograms of fentanyl. This was about 30 hours after Husel gave similar doses to two other patients late on Oct. 9, 2017 – Timothy Fitzpatrick and Beverlee Schirtzinger.
Husel worked as an anesthesiologist and ICU doctor at the hospital from 2013 until his firing in December 2018. Mount Carmel says during that time, at least 34 patients were given higher-than-usual painkiller doses under his care.
In the first 27 patients identified by the hospital, all recieved doses of 400 micrograms or higher of fentanyl. Both Brokamp and White, however, were among the seven additional patients identified by the hospital in late January. They both recieved fentanyl doses of 200 micrograms, indicating that the hospital may have expanded their investigation to include lower doses.
The Ohio Medical Board last month suspended Husel’s medical license, and recently served him a citation saying he could face further discipline.
The Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office is currently investigating the case.
If you are a Mount Carmel staffer who has information to share, or you believe your loved one or family member was impacted by this case, contact WOSU at paige.pfleger@wosu.org.
