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Family sues hospital over snakebite death (Kentucky)
Lexington Herald-Leader ^ | November 8, 2007 | Bill Estep

Posted on 11/09/2007 10:12:53 AM PST by EveningStar

LONDON, Ky. -- As a woman bitten by a rattlesnake during a church service in London struggled to breathe, hospital employees made derogatory comments about her religious beliefs rather than providing proper care, contributing to her death, a lawsuit charges...

(Excerpt) Read more at kentucky.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Kentucky
KEYWORDS: lawsuit; rattlesnake; religion; snakebite
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To: EveningStar

I don’t understand the need to transport. I would like to know why she wasn’t given anti-venom as soon as she exhibited symptoms in line with snake bite. I wonder if perhaps she refused anti-venom and limited options for the hospital?

Even via helicopter that is a long way. I think some details are missing here that could explain this one way or the other. I can’t imagine a hospital not having anti-venom and drugs that could relieve the symptoms. Was she perhaps given anti-venom and had an allergic reaction to it. So much we don’t know. What I do know is I don’t play with snakes.


81 posted on 11/09/2007 11:30:06 AM PST by WildcatClan (DUNCAN HUNTER- The only choice for true conservatives)
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To: jim_trent

Many of those who do the snake handling thing also do in fact take poison. (Makes sense since they’re mentioned in the same Bible verse.) If I recall correctly, the preferred poison seems to be arsenic rather than cyanide, however.

As others have already shown, there is a biblical foundation for their practices, however outside the mainstream they may be. I wouldn’t be as quick as many seem to be to dismisss them outright as freaks and nutcases.

Some of the things that more mainstream religious denominations believe are more truly unbibilical and extra-biblical and therefore give me more pause than this stuff.


82 posted on 11/09/2007 11:31:08 AM PST by BMIC
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To: dljordan

“Holiness” is just part of their name. They don’t advertise the snake-handling part. You could be fooled.


83 posted on 11/09/2007 11:34:52 AM PST by muawiyah
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To: WildcatClan
London Kaintuckee is not a real big place. The locals wanted to send her to a larger regional hospital by helicopter where they could treat her.

Remember, this bite was TO THE FACE.

84 posted on 11/09/2007 11:37:37 AM PST by muawiyah
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To: MEGoody; EveningStar; JamesP81; thackney

Goody has it: the Bible was not meant to be taken out of context and then too literally.

I don’t profess to be any kind of Bible expert; far from it! But it seems to me that the lessons are repeated many times over and in many parables so that anyone with half a brain would ‘get it.’


85 posted on 11/09/2007 11:37:50 AM PST by Froufrou
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To: Teacher317
I agree with your comments. Having been in emergency situations—a lot of conversation (professional and non-professional) takes place while the docs and nurses are working on the patients. The majority of the time the conversation is very professional. There is so much lacking in this story-—how long between the bite and when she sought help? Did they give her anit-venom? Or did she refuse? I’m sure she was already on O2—that’s standard treatment for almost everyone who comes into the ED. A fan? I don’t think we even had one in our ED.
86 posted on 11/09/2007 11:49:41 AM PST by Red RN
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To: Publius Valerius

Because she was doing something I would describe as negligent. If the hospital contributed to the death, they should certainly have to pay for that, but this was easily preventable on her part. I wouldn’t hold a hiker to the same standard if they surprised a snake and got bit, but picking it up on a repeated basis I don’t see how she can escape some contribution.


87 posted on 11/09/2007 11:51:28 AM PST by Still Thinking (Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?)
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To: EveningStar

Yup, and when fat people are having heart attacks and smokers get lung cancer we should laugh at them while they die.


88 posted on 11/09/2007 11:52:27 AM PST by BJClinton (Don't taze me, bro!)
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To: EveningStar
"The lawsuit was filed Nov. 1 and the hospital has not filed a formal response. Sharon Hershberger, public affairs director for the Marymount, said she could not comment on the allegations in the suit, but she said the hospital takes such complaints seriously and is investigating the case."

So in other words you have a John Edwards wannabe that fed this story to the paper, but not a peep out of the more professional lawyers from the hospital.

Must be nice for the ambulance chaser to get the bug into the ear of the jury pool so it is the talk of the town before the hospital can even get their side of the story out. That is all this is, a release by the plaintiff so people will think more about the poor, innocent woman vs. the big, mean, bad hospital.

89 posted on 11/09/2007 11:54:32 AM PST by Abathar (Proudly posting without reading the article carefully since 2004)
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To: Dante3
Probably Rick Bragg.

I think the scripture in question is using the words 'serpent' to represent Satan and his minions. We didn't see Jesus handling snakes to prove Himself - He rebuked and chased demonic powers - and that's what the scriptures are referencing.

90 posted on 11/09/2007 11:56:51 AM PST by Tuscaloosa Goldfinch (If MY people who are called by MY name -- the ball's in our court, folks.)
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To: Still Thinking
but picking it up on a repeated basis I don’t see how she can escape some contribution.

Because--at least in our hypothetical--the hospital could have saved her if it acted in a reasonable, non-negligent manner. She entered the hospital and would have lived but for the hospital's negligence. The hospital caused her death.

Let me ask you this: let's say that you run a red light. You know the light is red and you deliberately run it because you're late. You get broadsided and are taken to the hospital in serious condition; however, you would be expected to live with ordinary care. While you are in the hospital, a nurse accidently gives you a lethal dose of morphine and you die. Would you still contend that the deceased is "contributorily negligent" because he deliberately ran the red light, which set into motion the chain of events that led to his death?

Or, same hypothetical, except this time when you are taken to the hospital, you are bleeding seriously. Again, we can expect that you would live with adequate care. The hospital staff negligently forgets to ensure that you are not bleeding internally and you bleed to death. Same result?

91 posted on 11/09/2007 12:00:44 PM PST by Publius Valerius
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To: Publius Valerius

You make good points. For myself, I am going to say that the person is somewhat contributory in the second case but not in the first.


92 posted on 11/09/2007 12:07:39 PM PST by Still Thinking (Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?)
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To: Still Thinking

I’m guessing the difference being that the second person died in a manner that we would sort of expect given an automobile accident?

Fair enough.


93 posted on 11/09/2007 12:39:13 PM PST by Publius Valerius
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To: Sybeck1
"Any verses to go with the snake handling beliefs?"

I was born in raised in Kentucky and there were snake handlers in my area. We had this one guy that used to walk along the shoulder of the main highway with snakes all over him. I never knew his name, we just called him... (you guessed it), "Snake Man". Anyway, others have posted the verses these snake handlers quote. But as a Baptist, all the people I went to church with thought the snake handlers were a "bit touched in the head".

On a personal note, I do believe the Bible. The verse, “ Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. ” Luke 10:19 means more to me than handling snakes. Check out my homepage and look at the Humvee my nephew was in that got hit by an IED. He and his entire squad came out of that with no injuries. Not a single Purple Heart in that explosion. My nephew is also a strong, Fundamental Christian and that verse explains his lack of harm. BTW, he just got home a week ago and I look forward to seeing him soon.
94 posted on 11/09/2007 12:41:21 PM PST by DocRock (All they that TAKE the sword shall perish with the sword. Matthew 26:52 Gun grabbers beware.)
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To: najida

Thank you for that- Rachel Brice is truly an extraordinarily talented snakecharmer, and that’s all that I’m gonna say.


95 posted on 11/09/2007 1:02:19 PM PST by matthew fuller (Crop-circles, killer rabbits and UFO'S are caused by GLOBAL WARMING!)
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To: Moonman62
And isn’t the stuff about snake handling non-original content?

I don't know. Bible Gateway doesn't include a note and I don't have my handy NASB handy. Either way, it doesn't change a thing, because of the passage about not putting the Lord to the test. Moreover, most churches who are into snake handling ignore the verse that immediately precedes their favorite: "And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." Mark 16:17-18 (emphasis mine).

Note the part about "in my name". I would contend that, for the most part, the people who do these things are doing them for the wrong reasons. But that's just my $0.02.

96 posted on 11/09/2007 1:30:34 PM PST by Señor Zorro ("The ability to speak does not make you intelligent"--Qui-Gon Jinn)
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To: Ignatz
I've heard it referred to as "salad bar theology", and it's an apt description.

It is indeed, though it is one I hadn't heard before. I'll remember it, thanks.

And anyone can play the game:

This is a game that the MSM frequently plays during their interviews and articles as well.

97 posted on 11/09/2007 1:31:46 PM PST by Señor Zorro ("The ability to speak does not make you intelligent"--Qui-Gon Jinn)
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To: ClearCase_guy; Sybeck1; thackney
“ And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues. They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. ” Mark 16:17-18

So where does it say that the snakes won't hurt them? I don't recall myself. It just says they will pick up snakes. Lots of people do that. Don't they do it in India? Anymore verses?

98 posted on 11/09/2007 1:32:02 PM PST by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: EveningStar

She does something to demonstrate her faith, ooops it didn’t go quite as planned, and they’re suing the hospital.

If they have enough faith to snake handle, don’t they have enough faith to accept God’s will in the matter?

Shouldn’t they be suing Him for letting her die?

What kind of hypocrites are they that they’re so willing to win life’s lottery over this?


99 posted on 11/09/2007 1:36:36 PM PST by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: metmom

Seems you can drink Drano and antifreeze too.


100 posted on 11/09/2007 1:38:15 PM PST by Sybeck1 (Join me for the Million Minutemen March --- Summer 2008!!)
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