The family of the Liberian man who died of Ebola in a Dallas hospital last month will receive a settlement from Texas Health Presbyterian that will help take care of his parents and four children.
The terms of the settlement for Thomas Eric Duncan’s family was not disclosed, but a lawyer for the family said it would be “enough” to sustain them. In addition, the hospital will not charge the family for Duncan’s treatment and plan to create a charitable trust for Ebola victims in Africa.
The hospital initially turned Duncan away when he arrived exhibiting symptoms of the deadly virus in September, even after he told hospital staff he had traveled to Africa. He returned to the hospital on Sept. 28, three days after being sent home. Treatment, however, wasn’t enough — Duncan died on Oct. 8
“I believe this facility is an outstanding facility,” said Josephus Weeks, a nephew of Duncan. “And we as humans — we’re not perfect, we make errors, but it’s how you recover from errors that make you who you are.”
(Duncan lawyer) Les Weisbrod said that the family wants a book or movie produced to depict Duncan’s ordeal, “but the family would also like to see that something like this doesn’t happen to anybody else.”
Since his death, the hospital took out full-page ads in Dallas newspapers to apologize for their mistakes — errors that Duncan’s family believe led to his death and also infected two nurses who treated the patient. Nina Pham and Amber Vinson, however, were sent to isolation units at hospitals around the nation to receive treatment. Weeks later, the two emerged Ebola-free.
For a list of mistakes the Texas hospital may have made, click here.
SOURCE: NBC | PHOTO CREDIT: Facebook
