ST. CROIX — When Samuel Ruiz Jr. arrived at the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital and Medical Center on St. Croix shortly after noon on January 2, he was experiencing severe abdominal pain that had persisted for three days.
Despite a dangerously low pulse of 95 — a condition a lawsuit says warranted immediate attention — Ruiz was left waiting over five hours without treatment.
According to the lawsuit, Ruiz was called at 5:26 p.m. to have his vital signs taken, but he was no longer in the waiting room. Hospital staff took no further action until 6:30 p.m., when he was called a second time to be placed in a room. He again did not respond. Even if he had, he would have faced additional delays, as the room assigned to him was marked as dirty and required cleaning at 6:31 p.m.
The next morning, a nurse walking the hospital’s perimeter discovered the 41-year-old’s lifeless body behind the generator room near the fence line, according to police. The 911 Emergency Call Center was notified at 7:28 a.m. on January 3. A responding physician pronounced Ruiz dead at 7:30 a.m.
Krystal Ruiz, his sister, is suing the Virgin Islands Government Hospital & Health Facilities Corporation — the territorial hospital board that oversees the hospital — and Dr. Paul Haller, the Emergency Department physician on duty that day. The verified complaint, filed on September 23 by attorney Lee Rohn, alleges wrongful death and medical malpractice.
“We don’t know when he went outside,” Rohn said. “And when he didn’t respond, nobody went outside looking for him.”
Krystal Ruiz initially went to the hospital to request her brother’s medical records following his death. When her request was denied, she filed a lawsuit to subpoena the records. Upon receipt, Rohn used them to determine hospital liability prior to filing the wrongful death suit.
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After arriving to the hospital at 12:15 p.m. on January 2, Samuel Ruiz was immediately triaged, the lawsuit states. In addition to his low pulse, his abdominal pain was documented as a 10 out of 10 in severity. As the physician assigned to his case, the lawsuit states that Haller should have seen him immediately and began emergent care. Despite the serious and life-threatening condition that should have classified him as a Level 5 emergency case, requiring immediate attention, the lawsuit notes that a member of the hospital staff, not a physician, did not call Samuel Ruiz to even get vital signs until 5:26 p.m.
The lawsuit alleges the defendants failed to properly and timely examine, treat, and consult with Samuel Ruiz. It further claims the territorial hospital board failed to implement proper procedures and policies, and failed to properly hire, retain, and supervise Haller and the hospital staff.
As a result, the lawsuit claims Samuel Ruiz was left in severe pain, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life that went untreated until he died from lack of treatment. His estate, the suit argues, was deprived of his love, affection, companionship, and support.
Krystal Ruiz, individually and as the personal representative of the Estate of Samuel Ruiz Jr., is suing the territorial hospital board and Haller for wrongful death, negligence/medical malpractice, and negligent infliction of emotional distress/intentional infliction of emotional distress. She is suing the territorial hospital board for negligent hiring, retention, and supervision of Haller and the hospital staff. The complaint seeks compensatory and punitive damages, court costs, legal fees, and any other relief the court deems appropriate.
