Posted on 05/09/2005 5:30:34 AM PDT by tbritton
Schiavo findings won't be rushed
Despite conflicting calls for thoroughness and quick results, Jon Thogmartin won't let appeals from the public force his hand.
LARGO - People around the world have talked about the life and death of Terri Schiavo, but Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner Jon Thogmartin will get the last word.
For the past month, he has been working on her autopsy. She has taken over his office and consumed his working hours. He appeared for an interview in blue scrubs, looking every bit the wiry medical examiner with his bald head and tiny wire-rimmed glasses.
"That's her and that's her," he says, pointing to piles of documents and boxes of slides stacked all over his office.
..
Thogmartin, 41, knows Schiavo's autopsy will probably be the most publicized of his career. He won't talk about it until he is done and estimates it will be two or three more weeks.
He has received hundreds of letters and e-mails about the brain-damaged woman who died March 31, 13 days after her feeding tube was removed. Many ask him to look for signs she wasn't brain-dead or signs of abuse, among the allegations made during the protracted battle between her parents and her husband over whether to keep her alive.
"They are of no consequence to me," says Thogmartin of the letters.
The lively Texan, publicity shy and fiercely protective of his wife's and child's privacy, is known for doing everything by the book. He denied requests from Schiavo's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, and her husband, Michael Schiavo, to allow their own pathologists to observe the autopsy.
"It is routine in cases of criminal importance to not allow any biased pathology advocates in the morgue," he said. "I'm the independent pathologist."
(Excerpt) Read more at sptimes.com ...
The doctor's insurance company settled out of court based on the fact that it would be cheaper to settle than to litigate even if the doctor was Innocent. So, there was never any presentation of such evidence.
Someone please correct me if that case was actually litigated.
There were originally two physician's named in the malpractice lawsuit. One of them, Dr. Prawer, settled out of court. The second, Dr. Igel, proceeded to trial. The trial (a JURY trial) began on 11/2/92, and concluded on 11/10/92. While the jury determined that malpractice on the part of Dr. Igel had occurred, and contributed to/resulted in Mrs. Schiavo's illness and condition (which was presented as a "vegetative state,"), the jury attributed 70% of the responsibility for her condition to Terri Schiavo herself. Further, the jury found that her eating disorder (which was a finding of fact of the jury) would result in a reduction of her life expectancy from approximately 50 more years to only 17 more years, which determination resulted in a further reduction in the compensatory damages due from Dr. Igel as a result of his malpractice.
While some compensatory damages were awarded, there were no punitive damages awarded, since the jury found that Terri Schiavo bore the majority of the responsibility for her situation.
You can read about it here:
Malpractice Suit Brings $2-Million to Woman Left in Vegetative State
The reporter for this article was Laura Griffin. Probably not "the one" you were thinking of.
Well, okay then. So the jury was wrong to award the money in the Schiavo case?
So Judge Greer bought this jury off?
On April 2 it was reported the autopsy was complete and it would be several weeks until the results would be released. Some other reports stated a minimum of six weeks. It is just coming up on six weeks so there has been no delay.
Can you read English?
Yes, indeed I can. And I comprehend it as well. Your unwarranted hostility is noted.
Sometimes the culture of life folks need a course in the culture of civility and kindness.
The doctor's insurance company settled out of court based on the fact that it would be cheaper to settle than to litigate even if the doctor was Innocent. So, there was never any presentation of such evidence.
I see others have also informed you there was in fact a jury trial.
But let's take your this post of yours and consider it in light of your previous claim I was addressing. You first said there was no evidence of an eating disorder and stated the idea that there was was based on a rumor started by a reporter.
I'm glad you now admit that was not the case. Even if the facts were just the settlement that you now concede (and it's not, but for the sake of argument), that in itself is more than mere "rumor" and more than some reporter starting same.
That's not a fair thing to assert ... you impugn the integrity of this ME without knowing anything about him except where he works! Surely there are a scant few honest people in that area of Florida ... this ME may be one of them and his findings will be infamous so he's doing the most thorough job he can for posterity's sake. Give him time ... Michael abused her for more than a decade, a few weeks to sift through the tissues and data isn't too much to accept patiently.
Some tissue 'fixings take two weeks just to get the gross mount ready for slicing! Sheesh.
Hold on now ... she was dying of dehydration, but the ME could find that something was given to her at the end to hasten her demise so that the death fit a schedule of Felos &co. THAT kind of search takes time to divest.
LOL! Absolutely! Of course, he wasn't the judge on the malpractice trial, that was Judge Federico. And Judge Greer wasn't a judge yet, he was still a Pinellas County Commissioner when the malpractice trial took place (although he became a judge just a couple of months afterwards). But that means nothing. Definitely--the fix was in.
I wonder why Terri's family isn't promoting this ruling? Falls under the "but that's different catagory"?
I believe there were two separate cases. One settled out of court, and one resulted in a jury award.
A lesson or three in what constitutes real documentation and evidence wouldn't hurt either.
:)
You offered: "Is 16 years of inactivity and inability to respond to stimulus not enough time to show signs of improvement; I saw nothing but deterioration of her condition." Here's a hint for you: there are two things (at least) that Terri is shown in video from 1992 or 1993 doing that a PVS patient cannot do --1) swallowing repeatedly in a few short moments in succession, 2) licking her lips from side to side with purpose. I will bet you that you cannot find a single neurologist (other than Felos/Hemlock Society hirees) who would agree to the PVS diagnosis fifshown that short video clip from the time when Terri was receiving therapy, prior to Michael winning the lawsuits and the money flowing under his control. If you are honest, you will realize that Michael's forced neglect (he even threatened anyone who tried to give therapy or aid to Terri once the monies were awarded by the courts) lasting more than a decade amounts to gross abuse of Terri yet Greer chose to ignore that abusiveness for some as yet unknown reason.
That wasn't my point at all. My post is very clear as were the preceeding posts leading up to why I used the phrasing I did.
Well, ya know that is true and I actually think that Felos and company did give something to Terri those last 10 minutes to make her die. I mean, think about it. Isn't it convientant that they come in the room and make Bobby and Suzanne go cause they had to set up for her death which they knew was about to happen. From waht I understand Terri was on her death bed, but Michael never went in her room that last couple of hours as Bobby and Suzanne were in there, and than all of the sudden Michael comes in with Felos and other's and boom, she dies 10 minutes later??? Yes, it is convienant and was staged. So, I hope that if they did do something to her those last few minutes that the ME would see it and detect it and find that the cause of death was not Deydration but rather something else. I also think that Felos knows that if they do find whatever really caused her death he can always blame the hospice and get away with murder either way. I have a feeling he has probably prepared himself for all of that.
They can NOT possible say she wasn't in a vegetative state.
No way they are going to come back and say the Judge killed a woman with a treatable condition. It would destroy the courts.
No way they will do that IMO.
I do not think they are as honest as our President.
Sean Hannity said the other night he called Mark Fuhrman to investigate the whole case - broken bones-possible abuse etc and Fuhrman has put in over 100 hours on the ground in Florida on this and is writing a book to be published down the road. Maybe just maybe Michael will get his for what he has done. As Sean said, "It's not over yet."
Sean Hannity said the other night he called Mark Fuhrman to investigate the whole case - broken bones-possible abuse etc and Fuhrman has put in over 100 hours on the ground in Florida on this and is writing a book to be published down the road. Maybe just maybe Michael will get his for what he has done. As Sean said, "It's not over yet."
Sean Hannity said the other night he called Mark Fuhrman to investigate the whole case - broken bones-possible abuse etc and Fuhrman has put in over 100 hours on the ground in Florida on this and is writing a book to be published down the road. Maybe just maybe Michael will get his for what he has done. As Sean said, "It's not over yet."
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