Man’s family sues doctors after fatal overdose
http://www.wpxi.com/news/top-stories/mans-family-sues-doctors-after-fatal-overdose/515967345
McKEESPORT, Pa. – The family of a McKeesport man is suing his doctors, claiming that they repeatedly gave him prescription painkillers despite knowing about his addiction.
Nicholas Classic died in October 2015 after overdosing on prescription drugs. He was 29.
According to a wrongful death lawsuit filed Tuesday in Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, doctors at a McKeesport clinic prescribed Classic painkillers in March 2013 after an MRI showed a mild bulged disk in his back.
Classic continued to receive pain medication for two years before the doctor wrote a note saying, in part:
“Patient in the past few weeks has demonstrated overuse, urgency in wanting to obtain further quantity when overtaken and has called this office several times insistent on knowing when his medications would be prescribed.”
Family members said Classic had a near fatal overdose less than a month later, but found other doctors to prescribe painkillers to him. The lawsuit alleges this patter continued until his fatal overdose in October 2015.
The lawsuit was filed by Classic’s mother. Seven doctors and counselors are named as defendants.
“She had been waging an almost one-woman crusade to get these doctors to stop prescribing to her son,” said Alan Perer, the Classic family’s attorney. “She failed in her attempts to prevent this from happening to her son. She would like to see the system improve.”
Channel 11 reached out to the seven doctors and counselors named in the lawsuit. All either declined to comment or did not return phone calls.
The prescription drug monitoring program was not implemented until several months after Classic’s death. The program requires doctors to put patients getting prescription drugs into a shared system to prevent “doctor shopping.”
Filed under: General Problems
we do know a lot of facts,,,,fact ; at 18 in this country,u can be handed a gun by our military and kill another person,and as a ADULT at 18,,u r allowed to take on that responsibility,,However,,my issue is w/these 20 somethings not taking responsibility for their own bodies?Why??Why should mommy have to come in a save em??They are adults are they not???My big issue is now,,,because if issue like the one u speak of,,100,000.00 medicaly ill human beings are being denied the MEDICINE opiates for their physical pain from their medical illness because of your ,”addiction claims,” Soo u r soo right,,,karma is a bitch,,since u wish for that to happen,,,,some day,,,u may get a terribly painful desease,,,,and because 20 somethings year old do not want to take responsibility for what they put in their own bodies,,,u will receive no medicine to lessen your physical pain,,,,Broken bones,,,tough suffer,,,cancer,,,,tough suffer,,,medical error,,,tough suffer,,,because some 20 year old choose not to take responsibility upon themselves as to what they put in their own bodies,,and NO-ONE told them hey,,,its your body young man,,,take care of this yourself,your suppose to be an adult,,,act like 1,,telll your doctors,.,,NO,,,i DO NOT NEED THAT MEDICINE for no-one shoves any pills down someone mouth,,do they??Or tell these 20,somethings,,about a word called ,”informed consent,” and what the word means,,Again,,at any time,,any adult can say nooo,,Doctor I do not wish to take that medicine,,,,why didn’t ,”Ryan,” do just that??Why did this young adult male have to have his mother tell his doctor anything??was it not his body at 26??
I see and medically ill human beings using death everyday to stop physical pain from cancer,medical condition ,that the physical pain is treatable,,but doctors in fear of a ,”ryan,” refuse to give them the medicine they need,,,and they are forced to use death to stop[ physical pain,,,,and that’s ok w/u????That the medically ill in physical pain from their medical condition are forced to suffer in agony because of adults like Ryan,,or Ryans parents???thats ok??to force the medically ill to suffer in physical pain???NO,,,ITS NOT,,,marywi
Really Kate,,,I guess your inability to see truth again is interfereing w/your inability to recgonize truth..The fact/truth is,,10,000 of medically ill human beings are being FORCED to endure treatable physical pain,but because of adults like the ,”ryans,” or anyone else who is an adult,and ,chooses to abuse their medicines,,,The medically ill in physical pain are forced to endure physical pain for a life time,,and that’s ok with you?maryw
It’s amazing how when something negative happens the person,often well into their adult years,is not held responsible for their own actions. And of course they are such wonderful people who would still be alive if it weren’t for someone else’s actions. I have had many doctors tell me (prior to the cdc guidelines) that they couldn’t/wouldn’t prescribe what I needed for pain control (also for hormones) because if I were to get cancer (hormones) or die from pain meds they could be sued by my family. My husband, children and I even offered to sign anything they wanted to be certain that wouldn’t happen to the doctor to no avail. When an adult is making a decision concerning their health treatment it is ridiculous for family to sue because of the consequences of their decisions! An addict is GOING to get their drug of choice or an alternative no matter what regulations, rules, or laws are put in place! The only people that are affected are those people who respect the law and follow the rules! Sadly those people don’t have the energy or money to overrule the stupidity that is sweeping this country when it comes to prescribing pain medication!
I would truly like to know where all these addicts are finding doctors when those of us who desperately need them are looking for a very small needle in a very large haystack to even get minimal treatment!!
You r soo RITE,,,since when has these parents of ADULT offspring been allowed to sue??I mean they are,,,but curious,,when I even asked to sue on behalf of maltreatment towards my mother of 80 years old when she was in a hospital,,then died,,I was told I could NOT sue on behalf of my dead parent?/wth..but its ok to reverse that???!!!!There needs to be a law written,,that parents of adult off spring cannot sue on their behalf,,,ever!!!U know if I ever won a million bucks Connie,,,I would ask YOU,,, TO SPEAK to congress,hhs,cdc etc,,,for I am sure the part of your family history concerning issues,,,would definitely let congress see both sides of this mess!!!!
I also think SOME shrinks thru-out history,,ie Pennhurst,,,Eugenics,,etc,,,some shrinks try to pull a hitler,,,,to fill; their pockets and other shrinks pocket by mass institutionalization,,seriously,,Look how many ,”sanitariums,” were open after the preaching of Eugenic,,or after wars,,,employing 1000’s of shrinks,,I truly think this klondyne and friedmen new exactly what-they were doing..Dont tell me,,,being in the cdc,,control of prison populations,,,THEY KNEW EXACTLY WHAT TO SAY/DO TO CONTROL THE MASSES!!!!!!,SOCIOLOGY IS A BIG PART OF THAT DEGREE,/EMPLOYMENT, IF I EVER HAD THE MONEY,,,,THOSE 2 WOULD BE THE ONES I WOULD SUE LITERALLY FOR TORTURE/GENOCIDE,,,,,AND ASK FOR THE FULL PUNISHEMENT OF THE LAW FOR THAT CRIME AS IN A ACTING CAPACITY OF OUR GOVERNMENT,,,,,,LIFE IN PRISON!!!!!mary
psss,,,I AM NOT SAYING AT ALL no PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY,,,WHAT I THINK,,IS THESE PARENTS HAVE NO LEGAL RITE,,,,AFTER THEIR ,”BABY,”’ HITS THE AGE OF 18 TO SUE ON THEIR BEHAVE,,,THESE PARENTs ARE ONLY SUEING FOR REVENGE…….AFTER THE AGE OF 18,,,THESE PARENTS NO-LONGER HAVE ANY LEGAL RESPONSIBILTY TO ANY ,”BABY,” OF THEIRS FOR THEY ARE NOW LEGAL ADULTS,,,THUS AS LEGAL ADULTS,,,HAVE FREE will for ,”INFORMED CONSENT,” AS A ADULT TO THEIR DOCTORS!!!!!!THESE PARENTS SHOULD HAVE NO LEGAL RITE TO SUE ON BEHALF OF A ADULT OFF SPRING,,,,EVER!@!!!!!,,,NOW THERE A NEW LAW WE SHOULD TRY AND GET PASSED EHH!!!,,mary
Here is another possible take on this..What if the parents and the Dr,,,our lying??my case is a prime example,,,I went to 20 different doctors 7 different hospitals,,for my severe up gastric pain,,,The Doctors labeled it chest pain because of thee lower collapse of my lung,heart muscle inverted t-waves,,,almost 15+++ years later,,,we find out,,my pancreas and gallbladder were the problem allllllll along,,,for no doctor EVER,, looked at them or did a simple,,special blood test,,lipase level,,,never in 15 + years,,,,Now a days …I would of been labelled just like this women,,Doctor Shopping,,Now women have always been looked down on,,or our pain is never as bad as we claim it is,,right!!!!!What if x-rays,,mri done in 2 d,,,did not show the severity of her back problem,,,just like me,,,,thus she needed MORE MEDICINE for her physical pain and the doctors said no,,,but labelled it ,,drug seeking behaviour?/How many of us now,,,need more medicine???we all do,,,but if we ask now a days,,its labelled drug seeking,,right!!!Most of us,,,had parents who saw our MEDICINES,,, as ,”bad opiates ,,bad opiates,” rite!!!!Most people see our medicines as some demonized drug,and I know many who’s family member/parents do not see our rite as adults now,,,,,not ”their baby boy or girl at 29,,,,,,,,,I think that is what happen to this women,,,and when she saw everyone was twisting her word,,the truth,,to label her,,when all she needed was enough medicine to function,,,she said,,”im out here,”’,,,and she used death to stop her physical pain for good,,!!?????,,,jmo,,maryw
So sorry,,your incapable of seeing truth anymore,,,Aftyer 18,,,it is our bodies,,,not mommy or daddy’s,,,,and its called informed consent,,,,as adults,,,Thus no doctors is liable for some adults irresponsibility,,no 1 shoved pills down anyones throats,,ever,,,maryw
This sort of thing is all we pain patients need. Where is personal responsibility in all this? Legit patients cannot even find a doctor to prescribe needed medications as it is.