THE family
of a 74-year-old woman who died after allegedly
being moved from a trauma room to accommodate a
flu-stricken Michael Jackson says it will sue
the hospital and the pop star.
The legal threat comes before Monday’s
opening statements in Mr Jackson’s criminal
trial on child abuse charges. The jury selection
process was delayed by a week when the singer
came down with flu.
Manuela Gomez Ruiz was
being treated for a heart attack at the Marian
Medical Centre, in Santa Maria, when she was
allegedly moved out of a trauma room to make way
for Mr Jackson. She died later that day. The
hospital said it was confident in its levels of
care, but could not comment on the case. A
spokesman for Mr Jackson said that the pop star
had delivered his condolences to the family, but
the allocation of hospital rooms was beyond his
authority and control.
Mrs Ruiz’s daughter-in-law, Anna Ruiz, said
she saw Mr Jackson arrive. She said that her
mother-in-law was taken off a ventilator and her
breathing was manually assisted with a hand pump
during the move. She had two more heart attacks
that day before she died.
According to hospital records, Mr Jackson,
46, told emergency room staff that he had severe
abdominal
pains.
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