Police in Rocky Mount, North Carolina (N.C.) say that there appears to be no foul play in the death of a man at a hospital on Thursday. Initial investigation shows that 23-year-old James Collins was found dead in an isolation room at Coastal Plain Hospital around 2:30 p.m. It appeared that Collins had been dead for approximately 6 hours until he was discovered by hospital staff members.
The facility where this has occurred, Coastal Plain, is a 50-bed inpatient psychiatric and substance abuse treatment facility. It is owned by Nash Health Care Systems. It is yet to be determined if adequate care of the patient is a reflection of his untimely demise.
Looking at preliminary data, the medical examiner’s office reveals that there are no apparent signs of foul play. However, the Rocky Mount Police say the actual cause of death is pending the toxicology results, which may not be available for several weeks.
The incident is under inspection with the NC Division of Health Service Regulation. It has an acute care section that investigates questionable deaths at hospitals. Spokesperson for Health & Human Services, Jim Jones, says it’s too preliminary to say whether Thursday’s death will be investigated or not by the state agency.
Despite all the most recent advances in medicine, there are still too many people that are either killed or seriously injured from mistakes made by doctors, nurses, hospitals and other health care providers. A patient is entitled to the best medical care available, but more often than naught, don’t get it. When this occurs, it‘s appropriate and customary to review the medical records and other information to see if there was negligence involved in the medical care provided, and if so, it is then proper to seek the advice of an experienced medical malpractice lawyer.
BM