Mitchell v. Los Robles Regional Medical Center

FACTS

On the evening of May 26, 2017, appellant, in distress over the death of a pet, swallowed 60 Naproxen tablets. She vomited twice and had abdominal cramps. Appellant, accompanied by her husband, “presented” at the Hospital emergency department at 7:23 a.m. on May 27. An emergency room physician took her history and noted that appellant was still experiencing nausea and abdominal pain and had a resting tremor. Appellant was alert, oriented and had no acute distress. The physician noted no motor deficits or sensory deficits. His impression was that appellant had suffered an acute kidney injury. At 8:05 a.m., the registered nurse assigned to appellant noted her history of nausea and vomiting and her muscle tremor. Appellant was calm and cooperative and not experiencing pain. The nurse placed an IV catheter in appellant’s left forearm. Nearly two hours later, the nurse noted that appellant walked to the toilet with assistance from her husband. He further noted that appellant walked back to her bed without assistance. On the way back, appellant fell, causing abrasions to her nose and forehead and severely injuring her knee. About 30 minutes after the fall, appellant was seen by…