Opinion ID: 159952
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: White’s medical treatment

Text: On the night of April 10, 1996, White was riding his motorcycle in Sayre, Oklahoma, alone, intoxicated, and without a helmet. After a report of an accident, received around 11:00 p.m., emergency medical technicians (EMTs) 1 Because plaintiff is challenging a jury verdict, we recounted the facts “in the light most favorable to the prevailing party.” United Int’l Holdings, Inc. v. Wharf (Holdings) Ltd. , 210 F.3d 1207, 1227 (10th Cir. 2000) (quoting Thunder Basin Coal Co. v. Southwestern Pub. Serv. Co. , 104 F.3d 1205 (10th Cir. 1997)). -2- found him lying on the edge of a residential street, approximately ten to twenty feet from his motorcycle. At first, White was totally unresponsive. When the EMTs attempted to administer intravenous solutions, White regained consciousness and resisted treatment. The EMTs, however, persuaded him to be transported to the emergency room at Sayre Memorial Hospital, a small community facility. The ambulance arrived at the hospital approximately 11:15 p.m. There, Carole Jackson, a registered nurse, had the initial responsibility of assessing White’s condition. Jackson described White’s attitude as combative, in that he resisted all efforts to examine him and was verbally abusive. Jackson detected a strong odor of alcohol surrounding him. Upon the arrival of defendant Kenneth Whinery, M.D., White continued to be agitated and uncooperative. Dr. Whinery was able to conduct an examination, although he decided to postpone the taking of an x-ray until White was calmer. From his examination, Dr. Whinery found no visible injury but determined that, under the circumstances, he must rule out a possible head injury. In spite of White’s protests, White was placed in a hospital room for observation at 12:00 midnight, rather than released to go home. White did not cooperate with Jackson’s efforts to monitor his condition. Although she generally obtained vital signs during her periodic checks on him, she did not procure complete data for entry on the standard neurological flow -3- sheet. At one point, he vomited and would not let her remove his shirt. When a family member arrived, however, he allowed the shirt to be removed. In addition, he permitted a police officer to draw a blood sample to be tested for alcohol level. 2 At 2:45 a.m., White had a neurological collapse: he began seizure activity; he was unresponsive to verbal and painful stimuli; his respiration was loud and snoring; and his left pupil was dilated. Jackson called Dr. Whinery, who arrived back at the hospital within ten minutes. Dr. Whinery realized that White had an intracranial bleed, a condition with a high mortality rate. White would have to be transferred to a larger medical facility for emergency neurosurgery. Around 3:30 a.m., Dr. Whinery called Presbyterian Hospital in Oklahoma City to see if it would accept White for surgery. That facility turned him down. At 4:00 a.m., he called University Hospital, which agreed to accept White. When Dr. Whinery was not making calls to other facilities, he spent some time providing direct care to White. For instance, before making the first call, he ordered x-rays of White’s skull. Later, he prepared White for transfer by Mediflight transport under the instructions of University Hospital personnel. 2 A later analysis showed a blood alcohol level of .13. Under the Oklahoma motor vehicle laws, evidence of “an alcohol concentration of ten-hundredths (0.10) or more [is] prima facie evidence that the person was under the influence of alcohol.” Okla. Stat. Ann. tit. 47, § 756(A)(3). -4- Mediflight left Sayre Memorial Hospital with White on board at approximately 6:30 a.m. At University Hospital, a computed tomography (CT) scan revealed that White had a large epidural hematoma. Neurosurgeons performed a left craniotomy for evacuation of the hematoma, which relieved the pressure on his brain. White remained at University Hospital until May 6, when he was transferred to a transitional care hospital. White is now permanently brain-damaged, unable to walk or care for his basic hygiene.