District court hears wrongful death lawsuit against Gritman

Chuck Boyd believes Gritman Medical Center is to blame for the 2001 death of his wife, Linda.

Wednesday was the second day of proceedings in the wrongful death lawsuit brought against the Moscow hospital by Boyd and his sons, Chris and Andy.

The civil case, being heard by 2nd District Court Judge John Stegner and a 14-member jury, was filed by Boyd, who believes his wife's death resulted from the negligence of Gritman staff.

Gritman's attorney, Patrick Miller of Spokane, would not comment on the case.

"I don't think I have the time and I don't think I should comment in the middle of a lawsuit especially with the jury deliberating," he said.

In late September 2001, Linda Boyd was admitted to Gritman for surgery to correct a partial bowel obstruction.

Kept in the hospital for recovery, her vital signs went haywire several days after surgery, said the Boyd's attorney, Bruce Owens of Coeur d'Alene. Her blood pressure dropped dramatically, she experienced an increased respiratory rate and gained 40 pounds.

The signs of shock alerted nurses and doctors to a leak caused by the original surgery, Owens said.

A second surgery on Oct. 2, 2001 corrected the leak, but not before "Linda was so debilitated that she went into arrest and basically died right there on the operating table," Owens said.

In court Wednesday, Owens called several witnesses, including a nursing educator at North Idaho College to prove that Linda Boyd -- a healthy 49 year old -- was not cared for responsibly.

"The case is about the fact that there were all these signs and symptoms and they were not administered to," he said.

No nurses have been named in the lawsuit. Owens said it is important that the entire hospital take responsibility.

"There's a lot of fault to go around," he said. "But this community needs to be aware of what happened so it doesn't happen again."

Owens said Gritman nurses did alert Boyd's doctor, Bruce Ham, to her change in condition, but they were not aggressive enough. It is the nurses' responsibility, since they work one on one with patients, to oversee their care, he said.

"The nurse is in a position to say something," Owens said. "The nurse has an independent obligation. She should be an advocate for the patient."

Ham, who is longer in the area, was not employed by Gritman.

Owens said no monetary amount has been requested, but the Boyd family is in search of compensation for lost income following the death as well as pain and suffering.

The jury is expected to begin deliberations on the case sometime next week.

Hillary Hamm can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 228, or by e-mail at .