Spring, Texas, USA (Houston area): ABC13 reports a terrible animal hospital accident which is heartbreaking for the cat’s guardian and difficult to read for a cat lover.
Michelle Olson and her husband had picked up their cat Sophie from the Suburbia North Animal Hospital in Spring, Texas after taking her in for a routine checkup when they received a telephone call from the veterinarian who requested that they urgently return to the hospital with Sophie because they had injected her with euthanasia drugs instead of a rabies vaccine.
Horror of horrors. They returned as fast as they could. Michelle took 8-year-old Sophie out of her carrier and in her own words this is what she thought:
I immediately took her out of her cat carrier and I held her, talked to her, because I knew that was going to be the last thing she would remember. I knew she wasn’t going to come back at that point. I just knew it. She pretty much was dying in my arms.
The veterinarians could not save Sophie. They admitted their mistake and apologised.
ABC13 asked the hospital for a comment and they acknowledged that the incident had occurred but could not comment further on legal advice.
Comment: Clearly there is a danger of litigation seeking compensation which is why the vets have clammed up. On the face of it, the evidence is solid, however because on these facts the hospital has made a grave error and they’ll have to pay compensation if requested which will not compensate the Olson for their loss. Money alone can’t. I sense that the Olson won’t ask for compensation.
The one good aspect is that the hospital came clean and admitted their mistake. One commenter on Twitter believes that it was not an accident. I think it is very wrong to suggest that. Another found it hard to believe that such an accident could happen. It does seem awfully careless but accidents do happen. This is the first time I have read about such a fatal accident however.
SOME PAGES ON NEGILIGENCE:
