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An attorney representing the parents of a girl badly hurt in a dog attack says he’s investigating why the 4-year-old was released from a hospital just hours later and then suffered a stroke upon returning home.
Attorney Matt Casey, of Ross Feller Casey LLP in Philadelphia, said Casey Iorio and Matt Jakubowski, the parents of Kaydence Jakubowski, retained him and his firm “to investigate the troubling circumstances of Kaydence’s obviously premature discharge” from Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Township.
As of Thursday night, the Wilkes-Barre Township girl was still recovering at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia from the severe injuries she suffered when a dog attacked her at a backyard swim party a week ago, the lawyer said.
Geisinger spokesperson Megan Sobieski said Thursday she could not provide any information on the case or respond to Casey’s comments “because of regulations and confidentiality.”
According to an account that appears on a GoFundMe page, Kaydence was attacked by an Akita while attending a cookout with her parents in Hanover Township last Friday. Akitas are large and powerful dogs that could weigh more than 100 pounds, according to online information.
The GoFundMe page creator writes Kaydence suffered injuries to her throat, the side of her neck, her face and the back of her head. She spent that Friday night at Geisinger Wyoming Valley, “receiving stitches to heal her injuries. After returning home (in the) early hours of Saturday morning, things just weren’t right.”
“As the night progressed into the early morning hours of Sunday, Kaydence turned from bad, to worse … as she suffered from a stroke from a clot due to one of the bites,” the post states.
Lawyer from Sidari case
Casey, the son of late governor Bob Casey, is the same attorney who last year represented the family of Dr. Jennifer Sidari in a medical malpractice case filed in 2014 against Geisinger. That case was settled for an undisclosed amount in the midst of a jury trial.
Casey asserted that Kaydence arrived at Geisinger “with a potentially very serious medical problem, yet Geisinger sent her and her mother home after applying only stitches to Kaydence’s wounds.
“The delay in treating Kaydence’s underlying condition resulted in severe and catastrophic complications, including a stroke. We intend to get fully to the bottom of why this happened,” Casey said in a news release.
“It is evident from just the basic facts that her medical condition when she presented originally to Geisinger was diagnosed as being nothing serious when it was very serious and yet she was sent home,” Casey told the Times Leader later Thursday.
“She suffered a very, very serious injury that information we have so far suggests was preventable had she received more timely and appropriate medical treatment.”
The lawsuit in the Sidari case alleged that a series of errors began shortly after she was admitted to Geisinger Wyoming Valley in May 2014 and compounded due to negligence and short staffing during the Memorial Day holiday. That led to her death from a blood clot in her brain three days after the 26-year-old West Pittston woman went to Geisinger for help, the suit alleged.
According to media reports, Kaydence has a blood clot near her brain stem, her right side is paralyzed, and her vocal cords are damaged. The reports said Kaydence may remain in the hospital until the end of September.
Casey said he couldn’t provide specifics, but describing Kaydence as “resilient,” he said her family “is confident that her progress will be as good as it can be given that she is recovering at CHOP.”
The GoFundMe page creator writes that Kaydence’s mom and dad will be taking time off work, without pay, to be with her. That loss of income coupled with medical bills and the costs of transportation to and from the hospital are the reasons the page was set up, with a goal of raising $2,500.
“If you cannot donate, please say a prayer for Kaydence and her family. Thank you all,” the page states.
As of Thursday night, more than $9,000 had been raised.
Another fundraiser, a dart tournament, has been set for Aug. 6 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Kelly’s Bar, 17 Slope St., Plains Township. The family asks anyone interested in helping to call Lisa Mulvey at 570-905-5050 to sign up for the dart tournament, or Holly Chihany at 570-814-8455 to make a donation.
Times Leader reporter Steve Mocarsky contributed to this report.