The parents of a 2-year-old girl watched their child “needlessly” die at a Georgia hospital after she was bitten by fire ants and then had an allergic reaction, according to a lawsuit they’ve filed over her death. Maya Getahun needed immediate medical help when her parents brought her to Piedmont Eastside Medical Center’s emergency room in Snellville on Oct. 7, a complaint filed April 4 in Gwinnett County says. Though Maya was clearly having an allergic reaction, ER staff waited more than 20 minutes to give her an injection of epinephrine, according to the complaint. The hospital’s delay in giving Maya epinephrine exacerbated her respiratory distress, according to the complaint, which says she arrived at the hospital with a rash while wheezing and struggling to breathe. When Maya’s treating physician went to intubate her, the doctor realized there was no pediatric-sized intubation equipment available, the complaint says. The doctor learned the hospital lacked the equipment after she administered Maya a sedative, according to the complaint, which says she ultimately wasn’t able to intubate her. As a result, “Maya’s parents looked on helplessly as their daughter slowly died from lack of oxygen,” the complaint says. Now Bethelhem Getu Hundie and Getahun Birhanu, Maya’s parents, are suing, saying the hospital and its staff are to blame for their daughter’s death. Their lawsuit names the hospital, the facility’s parent company Piedmont Healthcare, the doctor and 10 unnamed parties as defendants. Piedmont Healthcare didn’t immediately return McClatchy News’ request for comment April 7.
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