Curtis Newbern III
Nationwide – Dorothy Newbern, a distraught mother from North Carolina, continues her six year battle revealing the details of her only child’s cruel 12 plus hour hospital ER visit. Shortly after her 33-year son, Curtis Newbern III, called her complaining of a sudden onset of excruciating head pain (like thunder and lightning going off in his head) and severe blurred vision, his mother immediately rushed him to Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center in Huntersville, NC. The hospital is also known as AKA Presbyterian Hospital.
When that nurse finally came out, she requested to take Curtis back and told his mom that she would call her back shortly. He was taken to the backroom in a wheelchair, and in less than five minutes, the door opened and the nurse told his mom: “You can come on back now. There is nothing to worry about; It’s just a sinus headache. I am going to give your son something for the pain, the fever and the nausea and he should be feeling just fine in a little bit.”
His mother, Dorothy, however, had doubts. She requested blood work and a MRI, but the nurse immediately shut down her request for all tests insisting that there was nothing to worry about.
At this time, both Dorothy and Curtis began to explain to the nurse that Curtis was immune deficient and needed to be examined by the ER doctor. The nurse then responded, “The ER doctor is really busy right now, and there was nothing to worry about. I know exactly what is going on, and the patient is just fine.”
Both Dorothy and Curtis then requested that his doctors at Vanderbilt Hospital be notified that he was being treated at this hospital, and requested assistance in treating his medical condition. But again, the nurse refused to consult anyone regarding his treatment. She remained confident that she knew exactly what was wrong with Curtis.
The nurse than tried to orally medicate Curtis three times, and each time he profusely vomited. Dorothy began to question the nurse’s method of treating her son, and once again requested to speak with the ER doctor on duty. She was told again that the doctor was really busy, and the nurse continued to with the same unsuccessful method of treatment for more than 12 hours.
Shortly before day break the next day, the nurse came running in to Curtis’ room with an oral antibiotic and discharge papers. The discharge papers were not signed by a doctor, but instead had been stamped with a signature stamp. The nurse provided them with a couple of prescriptions, helped Curtis get to his car via a wheelchair, and told his mom “Call us if you need us.”
Shortly after arriving home, Dorothy decided to call 911 and her son was rushed to a second/another hospital ER. This time he was taken to Carolina Medical Center in Concord, North Carolina.
The first question asked by the ER doctor at this hospital was: “Where have you been for the past 10 to 12 hours? This young man didn’t suddenly get like this.” His mom explained: “We were at the other hospital ER.” The ER doctor: “What tests did they run?” His mom: “The nurse refused all request for test and we never saw the ER doctor. The nurse said the ER doctor was too busy to see my son even though there was no one else in the ER.”
The mom went on to inform the doctor that the nurse insisted that the patient had sinusitis, and that there was absolutely nothing to worry about. Every request for medical assistance fell on death ears.
Meanwhile, the second ER doctor immediately suspected that Curtis had Meningitis and requested to perform a spinal tap. The test was positive and the ER doctor stated, “It’s impossible to detect Meningitis without any testing.” Soon after, Curtis lost consciousness, was place on life support, and then declared brain dead. A few days later, he was removed from life support.
His mom, Dorothy, says that the hospital and nurse that misdiagnosed and mistreated Curtis are not willing to accept responsibility for their careless and reckless disregard for life.
Although this happened six years ago, Dorothy and other members of Curtis’ family continue to seek justice for the torturous and wrongful death of her only son. Meanwhile, the hospital’s attorney is doing everything within his power to deny the family justice under the law.
The mother stated: “The Hospital attorney decided to make the case about himself and how he could benefit by appointing one of his colleagues to represent her. Then the hospital attorney could be the Executor of her son’s estate so he could have total oversight of how she was spending the money.” The mother never stopped seeking legal counsel which was not how the hospital attorney wanted to do busy so he is threaten to close the case/step out of the case.
Dorothy, does not currently have a lawyer to represent her case, and says that her son suffered emotionally. physically, verbally and ultimately loss his life due to the Novant Huntersville Medical Center (AKA Presbyterian Hospital). Newbern also stated: “My family and I are being denied equal justice under the law as a Constitutional right, and there are other federal violations that are being ignored by this hospital, such as EMTALA (Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act) passed by the United States Congress in 1986.”
The mother recognizes that this is a high profile case and have been warned that it’s too serious a case to allow anyone to close without penalty or justice for their wrong doing. The mother has researched, as well as, spoke with other medical professional/experts who regard this as a serious issue of abuse and neglect that requires serious surveillance and penalties so no other family has to endurer this type of treatment in a hospital ER.
Civil rights activists and others who are in a position to help the family of Curtis Newbern III can contact them via email at dot.newbern@gmail.com.
