Johnson vs. Sumner Regional Health Systems

James Johnson, as the next of kin and natural son of Belvia Johnson, appeals the trial court's final judgment dismissing his medical malpractice action against Appellee Sumner Regional Health Systems, Inc., d/b/a Sumner Regional Medical Center. Belvia Johnson (Decedent) sustained injuries when she fell off a gurney while being treated in the Medical Center's emergency room. After the Decedent's death several months later, James Johnson filed a medical malpractice complaint against the Medical Center in which he sought to recover for the "serious and permanent injuries, pain and suffering, medical expenses, and death" of the Decedent caused by her fall in the emergency room. The trial court entered summary judgment in favor of the Medical Center and dismissed Johnson's medical malpractice complaint based upon Johnson's concession that the record contained no evidence to support his claim that the Decedent's death was caused by the Medical Center's negligence. Our review of the record on appeal reveals that, although Johnson conceded that he lacked proof to support his wrongful death claim, Johnson did have proof to support his medical malpractice claim against the Medical Center. Specifically, the record contains evidence that, as a proximate result of the Medical Center's negligence, the Decedent suffered injuries that otherwise would not have occurred. Accordingly, we reverse the trial court's judgment of dismissal, and we remand this cause for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.