Georgia Jury Awards Family of Drowned Hospital Patient $5 MIllion

A Georgia jury has awarded $5 million to the family of a woman who drowned in a Gwinnett County hospital bathtub shower eight years ago.

The woman, 34-year-old Wendy Wyckstandt entered Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville four days after giving birth due to complications.

Family attorney Jeff Harris said Wyckstandt’s mother found her dead in the bathtub after she collapsed in the shower.

Harris contended that Wyckstandt was too weak to be showering alone.

The hospital said a nurse had checked on her minutes before she collapsed, but Harris said video surveillance outside the room showed that nurses had not checked on her that day.

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Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, http://www.ajc.com