A Suffolk County jury recently found a doctor negligent after she allowed a college basketball player with a known heart murmur to play during a 2005 game in Worcester, MA. The jury awarded Antwoine Key’s parents, Tony and Angela Key, $2 million including $600,000 for their loss and $400,000 for pain and suffering.
Dr. Dorina R. Abdulah examed Antwoine, a then 22-year-old student at Eastern Connecticut State University, in 2001 to determine if he was medically eligible to play sports. During the exam, Dr. Abdulah found a “slight systolic murmur” in Antwoine’s heart, but signed a clearance form anyway stating that Antwoine was in “excellent health” and had no physical restrictions. However, on January 20, 2005 in a game against Worcester State College, Antwoine collapsed during the first quarter. He was immediately taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Dr. Abdulah’s lawyers argued during the trial that she had ordered an electrocardiogram, but the exam never happened. Dr. Abulah’s lawyers contended that it was because Antwoine never showed up to his appointment; however, the jury found Dr. Abdulah negligent for failing to follow up with Antwoine, including never even telling Antwoine that she had scheduled the appointment to check his heart. Consequently, several other doctors after Dr. Abudlah’s initial exam relied on her original report to make their conclusions about the state of Antwoine’s physical health.
