1 day Ago By Chrissy Booker
A Vancouver woman’s lawsuit against Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center alleges medical negligence at the hospital led to her husband’s death. The lawsuit filed April 10 in Clark County Superior Court claims Legacy Health failed to provide reasonable care and treatment to Christopher Lee McGee, which directly led to his death on April 1, 2023. Christopher McGee, 30, died from sepsis due to an E.
coli infection following surgical complications, according to his obituary . The suit seeks economic damages, noneconomic damages and loss of life damages in amounts to be proven at trial. Christopher McGee’s wife, Sativa McGee, and his daughter, Liberty McGee, who are representing his estate, are suing for additional damages, including mental pain and suffering, medical expenses, funeral expenses, loss of household services and the prospective loss of earnings, including Social Security and retirement benefits.
A spokeswoman for Legacy Health said the hospital cannot comment on pending litigation. Christopher McGee, who had previously been diagnosed with metastatic stage 4 colon cancer, was admitted to the emergency department at Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center on March 20, 2023, with a partial obstruction of his large bowel, according to the lawsuit. On March 22, 2023, Dr.
Paul Kaminsky performed several procedures to address the obstruction, the lawsuit states. Two days later, on March 24, Christopher McGee began experiencing increasing abdominal pain and distension but was not evaluated for his worsening condition until three days later, on March 27, according to the lawsuit. That same day, Kaminsky began treating Christopher McGee with Rocephin, an antibiotic used for bacterial infections.
Christopher McGee later tested positive for E. coli, which was resistant to Rocephin, prompting a change in his medications, according to the lawsuit. Kaminsky also performed an open small bowel repair on March 27.
Christopher McGee died on April 1, 2023. His causes of death included septic shock, E. coli bacteremia, a leak in his bowel at the surgical site and metastatic colon cancer, the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit alleges that the defendants, including, but not limited to Kaminsky, performed unnecessary surgery and failed to respond to Christopher McGee’s deteriorating condition in a timely and appropriate manner, ultimately leading to his death. “Chris was a passionate and caring individual who enjoyed spending time with his family. He was known for his goofy personality and his curiosity about the world around him,” Christopher McGee’s obituary said.
“In his free time, Chris enjoyed riding his motorcycle, taking photographs, watching football, playing video games and cooking with his Traeger.” This story was made possible by Community Funded Journalism , a project from The Columbian and the Local Media Foundation . Top donors include the Ed and Dollie Lynch Fund, Patricia, David and Jacob Nierenberg, Connie and Lee Kearney, Steve and Jan Oliva, The Cowlitz Tribal Foundation and the Mason E.
Nolan Charitable Fund. The Columbian controls all content. For more information, visit columbian.
com/cfj ..
