A Case No Family Should Ever Experience: When Hospital Negligence Kills a Child
On October 10, 2024, two-year-old Maya Getahun arrived at Piedmont Eastside Hospital’s emergency department in Snellville, Georgia after fire ant bites triggered a severe allergic reaction. She was evaluated by an emergency physician who recognized the urgency and ordered immediate treatment.
Despite doing everything medically appropriate, the doctor could not overcome the hospital’s broken systems. Maya died because the emergency department failed her—not because her condition was untreatable.
This tragedy, now the subject of a lawsuit in Gwinnett County State Court, illustrates how systemwide hospital negligence not one doctor can cause preventable death.
Why Seconds Matter in Emergency Anaphylaxis Treatment
Maya arrived struggling to breathe, with stridor, widespread hives, and rapid airway tightening. The treating physician immediately issued verbal orders for:
- Epinephrine
- Benadryl
- Decadron
- Pepcid
In anaphylaxis, epinephrine must be administered within minutes. Every delay increases the risk of airway collapse, cardiac arrest, and death.
But urgent treatment never happened not because the doctor didn’t act, but because the hospital’s systems obstructed lifesaving care.
Medication Delays Caused by a Pyxis System Breakdown
Nursing staff attempted to obtain epinephrine, but the hospital’s Pyxis medication dispensing system would not allow access until the physician left the bedside and manually entered orders into the EPIC electronic medical records system.
During a pediatric code, those minutes matter.
The physician testified that medication delays were “run of the mill” at Piedmont Eastside even stating she had waited hours for Tylenol in the past.
Hospital text messages following Maya’s death confirm staff concerns:
“They’re trying to say a 20-minute delay in documentation of EPI contributed to her death.”
The delay violated the standard of care in every emergency and every anaphylaxis scenario.
Critical Emergency Room Failures That Endangered Maya’s Life
When Maya required intubation to secure her airway, the emergency department lacked the basic pediatric tools necessary to save her life. The crash cart and airway equipment presented the following dangerous failures:
- Missing pediatric LMA (laryngeal mask airway) — a vital backup airway device that should have been stocked according to the Broselow system
- Missing pediatric bougie — removed the safest and most effective option for guiding an airway tube during emergency intubation
- Suction catheter in the wrong size (adult and neonatal only) — no usable suction for a 2-year-old patient in respiratory crisis
- Missing nasal trumpet in Maya’s size — eliminated another important method for maintaining an open airway
- Incompatible breathing tubing — available tubing did not connect to the equipment in the room
- Defective GlideScope video laryngoscope — a glare obstructed the physician’s view, reducing first-pass success and directly compromising the airway procedure
These failures show that this was not a rare equipment oversight or a single missing item. It was a systemic breakdown in crash cart stocking, pediatric readiness protocols, and medical equipment safety—conditions that no emergency room should allow, especially when treating children.
This Is Hospital Negligence — Not Physician Error
Maya’s treating physician identified the emergency, ordered the correct medications, and attempted to secure the airway. But individual medical skill cannot overcome system collapse.
Multiple levels of hospital negligence contributed to Maya’s death:
Medication override protocols failed – The Pyxis dispensing system prioritized documentation over emergency access.
Pediatric crash cart management failed – The Broselow stocking system was improperly maintained.
Equipment quality and safety control failed – A defective GlideScope remained in use despite posing clear danger.
Crisis communication and workflow failed – The physician was forced to improvise workarounds in a life-or-death scenario.
These conditions violate the standards that every hospital emergency department must uphold.
Legal Accountability Is the Only Path to Preventing More Pediatric ER Deaths
Families place trust in emergency rooms believing:
- Emergency medications will be immediately available
- Pediatric equipment will be stocked and functional
- Defective devices will be removed from use
- Hospital systems will support—not block—lifesaving care
Maya’s case proves that without accountability, dangerous systems continue.
If you or a loved one experienced medical malpractice an Emergency Room system failure, you deserve answers. At Bell Law Firm, we offer free consultations to answer any questions you have and evaluate your potential case. Contact us today to explore your options.