Lumumba's Family Alleges St. Dominic's Didn't Check for Heart Attack | Jackson Free Press | Jackson, MS

Lumumba's Family Alleges St. Dominic's Didn't Check for Heart Attack

The family of former Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba is seeking restitution from two physicians and St. Dominic's Hospital in a wrongful-death suit filed on Tuesday in Hinds County Circuit Court. Trip Burns/File Photo

The family of former Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba is seeking restitution from two physicians and St. Dominic's Hospital in a wrongful-death suit filed on Tuesday in Hinds County Circuit Court. Trip Burns/File Photo

The family of former Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba is seeking restitution from two physicians and St. Dominic's Hospital in a wrongful-death suit filed on Tuesday in Hinds County Circuit Court.

"While Mr. Lumumba was in St. Dominic's custody, its employees, the Hospital staff and physicians, failed and/or refused to conduct any test(s) to diagnose a heart attack or treat a heart attack," the complain states. "The cardiologist advised Mr. Lumumba (that) he needed a blood transfusion. The cardiologist did not do any test or diagnosis to determine if Mr. Lumumba was suffering from a heart attack."

The complaint alleges that the attending health professionals, both named physicians and unnamed additional health personnel, "failed to review Mr. Lumumba's medical records from his previous visits at St. Dominic's Hospital, failed to check for an aortic aneurism, and failed to conduct any test to diagnose a heart attack. These Defendants did nothing to diagnose or treat a cardiac issue."

"As a result of St. Dominic's and the treating physician's failure to properly diagnose and treat Mr. Lumuba, Mr. Lumumba died of a heart attack," the complaint states.

The Lumumba family seeks "damages for sustained physical pain, severe emotional distress, psychological distress, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, conscience pain and suffering, wrongful death, economic damages (of all kinds), non-economic damages (of all kinds), funeral expenses and other damages as a result of this incident."

The complaint was filed by the family's attorney, Dennis Sweet IV, who was unavailable for comment.

Chokwe Antar Lumumba, a local attorney named as the principal plaintiff and son of the former mayor, was also unavailable for comment.

Email city reporter Tim Summers, Jr. at [email protected] See more local news at jfp.ms/localnews. Read more on Chokwe Lumumba here.

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