From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
TRUSSVILLE — When Hope Johnson passed away suddenly on Dec. 4, 2014, her hometown of Trussville was in shock and devastated by the untimely death of the vivacious and beloved former Hewitt-Trussville cheerleader. Almost five years after her death, following a visit to Auburn Urgent Care, a Lee County jury has awarded $9 million to her family in a wrongful death lawsuit.
The award was a record verdict in a wrongful death and medical malpractice lawsuit, according to the attorneys representing the Johnson family.
Johnson, who graduated from Hewitt-Trussville High School and went onto attend Auburn University, visited the urgent care after experiencing sharp chest pains, difficulty breathing and cough. She was sent home with an inhaler and died the next day. Attorneys for the Johnson family said Johnson had already visited the clinic two days earlier with similar but milder symptoms. On that first visit, she was given an antibiotic and instructed to return if the symptoms got worse.
Cory Watson Attorneys Leila Watson and Nina Herring, alongside Brett Turnbull of the Turnbull Law Firm, said when Johnson returned, she was seen by a new physician at the clinic who did not have access to current or past medical records. The attorneys argued Johnson’s condition was critical and that she should have been taken to East Alabama Medical Center. Hope died the next day of blood clots in her lungs.
“Hope’s death is tragic because it was entirely preventable,” said Turnbull. “We don’t know the exact number of patients seen that day, but it was too many. Patient well-being, not profits, should be the primary goal of healthcare.”
The Johnson family released the following statement through their attorneys:
“We are very pleased with the jury decision in the wrongful death case of our precious daughter Hope. We continue to feel her absence every day and pray this decision brings about much-needed change. Our chief desire is that this case will set a precedent that will prevent this from happening to another family or college student, not just in Lee County, but in Alabama as a whole.”
