ORLANDO — A personal representative is suing a medical facility and a doctor, alleging medical malpractice in the death of a patient.
Yolanda Pettaway, as personal representative of the estate of Toni Tiara Spence, deceased, filed a complaint Jan. 29 in Orange County Circuit Court of Florida against Dr. Waleed Bolad, Bolad Arthritis and Rheumatology Clinic PA, alleging the defendants were negligent and deviated from the acceptable standard of care by failing to provide appropriate care and treatment to Spence.
According to the complaint, on Feb. 23, 2017, Spence came to the defendants, suffering from shortness of breath for the past six days, worsening arthralgias and fatigue. She was diagnosed to have lupus flare and gave her a benlysta infusion along with solumedrol and sent home, the suit says.
However on Feb. 24, 2017, the lawsuit states, Spence was taken to Tampa General Hospital, with altered mental status, hypotension, tachycardia and increasingly hypoxia. The suit says her health continued to deteriorate until she died Feb. 25, 2018, at age 19.
The plaintiff alleges the defendants failed to order/perform appropriate diagnostic testing/studies, failed to consider an infectious process as a different diagnosis and administered an inappropriate steroid injection in light of a potential metabolic acidosis of infectious process.
Pettaway seeks trial by jury, compensatory damages of more than $15,000, court costs, prejudgment interest on medical bills and all other just relief. She is represented by attorney Russell E. Artille of Morgan & Morgan Tampa PA in Tampa.
Orange County Circuit Court case number 19-CA-001363