Lawyers filed a notice of claim against Clarksburg, W.Va.-based Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center, alleging the hospital failed to protect a now deceased patient from "foreseeable harm" after at least ten other patients died under similar circumstances, reports WBOY 12News.
Retired Sgt. Felix Kirk McDermott died on April 8, 2018, from low blood sugar after he was admitted to the medical center for pneumonia. He had no history of diabetes, and hospital documents indicate there were no physician orders for Mr. McDermott to receive insulin.
The VA Office of the Inspector General launched an investigation into the deaths in July 2018. Inspectors notified Mr. McDermott's daughter in October 2018 that her father's death, and the deaths of up to 10 other patients, were likely caused by the wrongful injection of insulin. An autopsy later revealed Mr. McDermott had insulin injected into his left abdomen, and his death was ruled a homicide by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner. Authorities suspect the other 10 patient deaths were homicides as well.
Investigators have found a person of interest in the case, according to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie and Glenn Snider, MD, the medical center's director. The person no longer has any contact with veterans at the facility.
Among other allegations, the notice of claim asserts the VA failed to adequately staff the hospital, train employees and notify Mr. McDermott and his family of the previous patient deaths.
"Allegations of potential misconduct you may have heard about in media reports do not involve any current Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center employees," the hospital told Becker's in an email. "Immediately upon discovering these serious allegations, Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center leadership brought them to the attention of VA's inspector general while putting safeguards in place to ensure the safety of each and every one of our patients."