Friday, February 3, 1984/The Battalion/Page 5
ir
Kid paralyzed,
family accepts
$2.9 million
United Press International
; They're I
ar in M
cks.” Ce:
and Fo»-
H smothei |
isses. ■ EL PASO — The family of
ertificatepjChristopher Lucas should re-
its will leI|ceive $2.9 million because an
ihs. PriifiliArmy hospital and a phar
maceutical manufacturer made
mistakes that caused the boy to
be paralyzed from the waist
mown, a federal judge ruled.
U.S. District Court Judge
Harry Lee Hudspeth ruled last
flveek that medical personnel at
W illiam Beaumont Army
Medical Center were negligent
nets ai\4
is fair as i
izations to
fun, and
' for theii
? Williams,
n.
commiliet
’shasbeaHn treating Christopher, who
ce last fall,
participat. |
I an entn
til perceit
ings from
ay for tlie
:urity ptt
■xpectsab
and area
“All-Nit
as 14 months old at the time of
he incident in 1979.
The Lucas family, now living
n Salt Lake City, Utah, should
e awarded $2.5 million for
ast, present and future medical
expenses and suffering, Huds-
eth ruled after studying the
:ase for more than a year.
Christopher’s parents are
iRichard and Leigh Anne Lucas,
bhs father runs a woodworking
‘shop in Salt Lake City.
The Lucases should also be
awarded $400,000 in a separate
laim against Wyeth Laborator
ies, the judge ruled. The lab
manufactures Bicillin LA, the
drug that Christopher was in
jected with in his buttock. The
Lucases claim that the Bicillin
are: oil a package insert was inadequate
watercok |) eca use failed to mention the
awings,[w risk of paralysis it it is injected in
d
igs, charm
rigs, mmi
c, lithognp.
hings), blii
iphy and
the buttocks.
The Lucases and the govern
ment presented evidence to
Hudspeth during a non-jury
civil trial in 1982.
Christopher’s father, who was
in the Army, and mother took
him to the hospital for treatment
of a sore throat.
During the trial, it was re
vealed that Christopher was in
jected with Bicillin LA, a pro
duct of penicillin used in intra
muscular injections.
According to Hudspeth’s
judgement, medical personnel
“inserted the needle to its full
length” which, in a “child the age
of Christopher Lucas, fell below
the standard of care.”
Because the needle was too
long, it passed entirely through
the child’s muscle mass and
pierced a blood vessel, which led
to the swelling of the nerve tissue
within the spinal column, caus
ing the paralysis, Hudspeth
ruled.
In addition, Hudspeth said
that the injection was given in
the lower quadrant of the but
tock.
As a result of the injuries,
Christopher is “a paraplegic for
life . has permanent bowel and
bladder problems, requires
catheterization several times a
day to clear his bladder, is in
danger of kidney infection, and
will have no sexual function,”
Hudspeth said.
White supports prison director
United Press International
AUSTIN — Gov. Mark
White and the state prison
board emerged from a closed-
door meeting Thursday to
reaffirm their support for
acting prison director Dan
McKaskle and reject the no
tion of imminent large-scale
firings in the troubled correc
tions system.
White said he called the
special meeting to get an up
date from the board and be
cause of continuing news re
ports alleging mismanage
ment and possible fraud at the
Texas Department of Correc
tions.
The latest allegations came
from Rep. Ray Keller, R-
Duncanville, who charged
that the TDC was keeping two
sets of books on the food given
to employees as a fringe be
nefit. Keller said the list of
emoluments filed with the
Legislature was “blatantly in
accurate” because it under
stated the allotments of food
given to high-ranking TDC
employees.
After meeting for more
than two hours, Texas Board
of Corrections Chairman Bob
Gunn said no specific changes
had been approved at the
meeting, but that the board
decided to express continued
support for McKaskle.
Asked if McKaskle’s au
thority was in doubt, Gunn
said: “I think probably it was
in his mind.”
White also said he thought
McKaskle would make an “ex
cellent” permanent director
of the TDC.
Gunn rejected the possibil
ity of any widespread person
nel changes at T DC, as some
lawmakers have called for.
“I don’t foresee any great
house cleaning,” he said. I”m
not even going to project a
great change.”
He also rejected rumors of
imminent resignations by
high-ranking TDC adminis
trators as “a bunch of
malarkey.”
Gunn said he was not con
vinced that the list of fringe
benefits uncovered by Keller
was the one actually used in
dispensing meat, eggs, milk
and vegetables to prison em
ployees.
“I assure you we are going
to move quickly to check on
this,” he said. “But I don’t be
lieve its a dual bookkeeping
process.”
Prior to the board meeting,
White was questioned at
length about the prison sys
tem’s problems and his deal
ing with the TDG during his
tenure as attorney general.
White said he had had
“sharp disagreements” with
TDC administrators and stop
ped just short of saying they
had lied to him at times.
“I don’t know if we ever cal
led it that (lies). We had some
misunderstandings that were
severe and they won’t happen
again,” he said.
Music Express
STORE WIDE SALE
A&M police beat
LAST
BIG
tiers m &t|
vea$25o |The following incidents were
bylocaliM;- Ireported to the University Police
iceremoma Department on Wednesday.
gentries>: THEFTS:
BrazosCc • A green, Murray ten-speed
ary. Secoifebicycle from the Legget Hall
nnerswiuJ bike rack.
■izes. I; HARASSMENT:
eingaccept| • A student in Krueger Hall
teofPostOsf Ireceived an anonymous haras-
n andGps ling telephone call from a male.
3feeforeai |She reported that she had
Iwalked out of her bathroom
ffliude while her window blinds
iwere partially open.
• A student in dormitory
IQ seven reported several obscene
^ phone calls from an anonymous
■ tnale. The student has received
ion fehe calls since spring semester
began. University police are in
vestigating these incidents.
ARSON:
• A motorcycle in the base
ment of Zachry Engineering
Center was set on fire. Universi
ty Police officers were able to ex
tinguish the blaze. The pre
liminary investigation by the
College Station Fire Marshall in
dicates the fire was deliberately
set.
OTHER:
• A 1976, maroon Chevrolet
Camaro was stolen from Park
ing Lot 51. University Police are
investigating the report.
• The glass sunroof of a Chev
rolet Camaro in Parking Lot 56
was broken.
jer open,
). Reid"
not dei
1 the rnl
I not go f»|
icate r
spokesmiill'^
leclinedcm < '
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