A tragic case of alleged medical negligence has emerged from Harris County, Texas, where a family is seeking justice for the untimely death of their son. Ernest Jones and Gwendolyn Jones have filed a complaint against Dr. Rahul Damani, Nurse Practitioner Rylie Pittard, and Baylor College of Medicine on August 8, 2024. The lawsuit claims that the defendants' actions led to the wrongful death of their son, Evan Jones.
The plaintiffs recount that Evan Jones was admitted to Baylor Saint Luke's Medical Center on October 23, 2023, for elective surgery to address his Chiari malformation—a condition causing compression in the brain due to low-lying cerebellar tonsils. Despite initial successful surgery performed by Dr. Jalali, complications arose post-operatively. Evan experienced severe respiratory issues and difficulty swallowing. On October 28, 2023, his condition deteriorated rapidly; he struggled with breathing and showed signs of central apnea.
According to the complaint, Dr. Damani and Nurse Practitioner Pittard failed to take necessary measures such as intubation despite clear signs of respiratory distress. Instead, they administered sedative drugs that exacerbated Evan's condition. By early morning on October 29, 2023, Evan became unresponsive and was pronounced dead at 4:53 AM after unsuccessful resuscitation efforts.
The lawsuit accuses Dr. Damani and Nurse Practitioner Pittard of gross negligence and willful misconduct for not adequately diagnosing or treating Evan’s critical symptoms. "Not only was he not intubated to effectively address his primary problem," the complaint states, "but his impending respiratory failure...was imprudently treated with drugs that resulted in sedation." These actions allegedly breached the standard of care expected from medical professionals.
The plaintiffs are seeking compensatory damages exceeding $2 million for various losses including medical expenses incurred before Evan's death, funeral costs, mental anguish suffered by his parents, and loss of companionship and support they would have received from their son had he lived. Additionally, they are demanding exemplary damages due to what they describe as willful and malicious conduct by the defendants.
Ernest Jones also brings this suit as a representative of Evan’s estate under the Texas Survivor’s Act to recover damages for pain and suffering endured by Evan before his death.
Representing the plaintiffs is attorney Steven R. Davis from Davis & Davis law firm based in Houston. The case has been assigned Case ID 2024-50967 in Harris County District Court under Judge Monica Jackson.