Bell Law Firm and Steele Adams Hosman File Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Following the Death of 19-Year-Old Utah Woman

Family of Gwen Doner aim to hold healthcare providers accountable for medication error “never event”

SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bell Law Firm and Steele Adams Hosman today confirm the filing of a medical malpractice lawsuit on behalf of plaintiffs Brett Doner and Heather Myers in Third District Court in Salt Lake County against Intermountain Healthcare, Intermountain Life Flight, Murray City, Murray City Fire Department (“MCFD”), Gold Cross Ambulance, United Fire Authority, Utah Highway Patrol, and others, following negligence that led to the overdose and death of plaintiffs’ 19-year-old daughter, Gwendolyn Doner (“Gwen”).

On April 19, 2021, after Gwen survived a head-on vehicular collision with her brain unhurt, Life Flight and MCFD providers gave her 500 milligrams of ketamine—over 16 times the maximum dose authorized by State and County protocols. As a result, Gwen rapidly went into respiratory arrest.

Over the 7-9 minutes that followed, none of the dozens of EMS providers on scene had the capability or equipment to provide Gwen BVM ventilation, ultimately causing a fatal anoxic brain injury. Gwen never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead about 29 hours later.

After Gwen was admitted to Intermountain Medical Center in Murray (“IMC”), despite fiduciary and ethical duties requiring transparency, IMC providers and administrators concealed the overdose, respiratory arrest, and anoxic brain injury from Gwen’s family. The providers and administrators concealed those facts even after CT imaging confirmed the anoxic brain injury and IMC internally documented the injury as the official cause of Gwen’s death.

According to Alyssa Wood, an attorney at Steele Adams Hosman, the medication error is a “never event,” the type of medical error that should never occur. “As a result of the overdose,” states Wood, “a young woman lost her life, and two families lost their daughter and eldest sibling.”

“This is a tragic and egregious case of negligence,” says Lloyd Bell, an attorney at Bell Law Firm. “After bypassing safety protocols, multiple EMS providers administered Gwen a massive overdose of high-risk medication. This case is also unique because the deadly medical errors were caught and preserved on video.”

Bell Law Firm and Steele Adams Hosman are fighting for justice for Gwen’s family, hoping to protect other families from living the same tragedy by holding negligent healthcare organizations and providers accountable for the wrongful acts and omissions that led to Gwen’s death.

About Bell Law Firm

Bell Law Firm is Georgia’s leading medical malpractice and catastrophic injury firm. Founded in 1999 by Lloyd Bell, the firm has recovered hundreds of millions for clients and families impacted by medical negligence, including a record $75M verdict, the largest in Georgia history. The firm also achieved a record-breaking $26M verdict against a Columbus hospital and a $15M verdict against the largest healthcare provider in Georgia. In addition to delivering record verdicts, Bell Law Firm was awarded “Personal Injury Litigation Team of the Year” and “Most Innovative Law Firm” by The Daily Report. Lloyd is also the only Georgia attorney in the Inner Circle of Advocates, an invitation-only group of 100 leading trial attorneys in the United States. For more information, visit www.belllawfirm.com or listen to Lloyd’s podcast, “Face the Jury.”

About Steele Adams Hosman

Founded in 2019, Steele Adams Hosman is a renowned personal injury law firm located in Salt Lake City and serving clients throughout the state of Utah. Together, our attorneys have more than 35 years of legal experience, and we are known for securing some of the highest settlements and verdicts in the region. We have recovered millions of dollars on behalf of those injured in serious motor vehicle accidents, slips and falls, dog attacks, and more. Most importantly, we recognize that our clients are navigating some of the toughest times in their lives. Because of this, we make it our mission to provide the compassionate, personalized support they need, along with the aggressive advocacy they deserve.