A young man’s family has filed a lawsuit against a Missouri hospital after he passed away as paramedics failed to provide proper emergency care. He rushed to the hospital and could have been saved only if he received proper treatment in time. However, the medics neglected his pleas and kept him waiting, untreated. Now his family has filed a lawsuit against the hospital authorities.
24-year-old George Lubrano had long been battling diabetes. On December 16, 2024, he arrived at Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Missouri, and reported feeling unwell. He explained that his blood sugar levels have spiked “critically high.”
A couple from Texas sued Mercy Springfield this week, alleging their 24-year-old son died because he did not receive proper care from ER staff. George Lubrano had Type 1 diabetes.
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George had Type 1 diabetes and reportedly used a glucose monitor and insulin pump. He told the emergency staff that he was experiencing trouble breathing. He was vomiting and also had spasms in his lower back.
The nurse who saw the young man reportedly said “his lung sounds bilaterally clear,” and “attributed the episode to hyperventilation.” His blood sugar monitor was allegedly “beeping and not working properly” around an hour later, and he was feeling so sick that he had trouble talking to the nursing staff.
However, medics at the emergency service dismissed his claims and reportedly told him he was “simply hyperventilating.” George reportedly sat untreated in the waiting room for nearly five hours,” before eventually passing away. He kept saying that he is feeling extremely unwell but his cries for help were met with silence.
1.5 years after his death, his parents, John and Michelle Lubrano from Texas, have decided to press charges and take the matter to court. They have filed a lawsuit on the basis of medical malpractice and wrongful death in Greene County.
Alleged notes from the day of the incident show that he was instructed to “go back to a room as soon as possible,” when his blood sugar levels were through the roof. Only after he passed away did the doctors understand the severity of the situation. They tried to revive him with CPR and multiple doses of IV epinephrine but were unsuccessful, The Mirror US reported.
The lawsuit accuses the medics of being negligent towards George, which ultimately cost him his life. It highlights that the patient had still not been treated as he began to make “gurgling sounds, lost his pulse, became unresponsive,” and eventually, “went into cardiac arrest.” They brushed off George’s claims and refused to provide proper treatment.
The lawsuit states that George’s death was the result of complications from diabetic ketoacidosis. Things wouldn’t have taken a fatal turn if the doctors had listened to him. His body was not producing enough insulin, and if he had been treated on time, the situation would not have turned fatal. He could have been saved with “fairly noninvasive measures and reversed within hours.”
George’s obituary describes him as a “gentle soul who made everyone around him feel comfortable and seen.” The hospital released an official statement offering “heartfelt prayers and condolences” to his family. They stated, “We have and will continue to work with the family and their counsel to work toward a resolution.” They are yet to comment on the lawsuit.
