Professional Negligence Law Reporter

Carl Stiefel, 40, woke up in the middle of the night, walked to the bathroom, and fell to the floor, suffering from severe dizziness, nausea, vomiting, vertigo, and an inability to stand or walk. He was taken by ambulance to the St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center ER, where he underwent a workup, including a non-contrast CT scan, which was read as normal. Three hours later, he was admitted to the facility for observation.

His neurological condition continued to deteriorate. Approximately 14 hours after his arrival at the hospital, he underwent an MRI, which revealed that he had suffered a vertebral artery dissection and multiple strokes. Stiefel, who had worked as a fisheries biologist, now suffers from permanent motor and cognitive injuries, necessitating that he reside in an assisted living facility.

Stiefel and his wife sued the hospital, the hospitalist who admitted Stiefel, and an emergency medicine group, alleging failure to timely diagnose and treat the strokes. The plaintiffs asserted that the treating emergency physician failed to perform a proper workup and physical examination and failed to order proper imaging. Suit also alleged that a “code stroke” should have been called to trigger timely diagnosis and treatment. Had Stiefel been treated within the four-and-a-half hour tPA window, the plaintiffs asserted, he would have had a high likelihood of complete or near complete recovery.

The hospital and hospitalist settled before trial for an undisclosed amount. The jury awarded $13.5 million.

Citation: Stiefel v. Shifflet, No. CV01-18-04857 (Idaho Dist. Ct. Ada Cnty. Feb. 3, 2023).

Plaintiff counsel: AAJ member Eric S. Rossman, Boise, Idaho.