News
2 More Lawsuits Say Doctor Ordered Lethal Meds For Patients
By: Associated Press
Posted on:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Two more lawsuits are alleging hospital patients were negligently or intentionally given lethal doses of pain medicine ordered by an Ohio doctor without the families’ knowledge.
The Columbus-area Mount Carmel Health System says Dr. William Husel ordered excessive doses for at least 34 patients over several years. It fired Husel, notified authorities and put six pharmacists and 14 nurses on leave pending investigation.
Husel’s lawyers aren’t commenting.
He and the hospital face at least six wrongful-death lawsuits, including the two filed Friday over the deaths of 69-year-old Joanne Bellisari in May 2015 and 80-year-old Jim Allen in May 2018.
Mount Carmel initially said the affected patients were near death. It now says it’s investigating whether some got potentially fatal dosages when they still had opportunity to improve with treatment.