Seven Oaks hospital faces lawsuit over woman's death
Heather Brenan, 68, died after being sent home from hospital in 2012
The Seven Oaks General Hospital in Winnipeg is facing a lawsuit by the daughter of a 68-year-old woman who died hours after being sent home from the emergency ward.
Heather Brenan collapsed on her doorstep shortly after she took a taxi home from the hospital on Jan. 27, 2012.
Brenan was rushed back to the hospital, where she died the next day. An autopsy determined that she died from blood clots in her lower legs that travelled to her lungs.
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Her daughter, Dana Brenan, is now suing the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, the hospital, four doctors and several nurses and hospital employees.
In a statement of claim filed with the Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench on Sept. 27, Dana Brenan alleges that the hospital's staff breached their duties by not providing her mother with adequate care.
The WRHA was required by law to provide facilities and qualified and skilled personnel and services for ill or injured persons like Heather Brenan, and the hospital had an obligation to ensure the people in its care are safe, according to the statement of claim.
Heather Brenan originally went to the emergency room on Jan. 24 because she was experiencing pain while trying to eat, a friend told CBC News in February.
Brenan went through a number of tests at the hospital for several days, although she was never admitted as a patient.
She was discharged on the night of Jan. 27, after a doctor assessed her and hospital staff apparently made arrangements for Brenan to be met at her home by a friend, according to officials.
The province's chief medical examiner announced earlier this year that an inquest will be held into Brenan's death.