The family of Latoya Prince of Chauncey has been left in utter shock and dismay after the woman died suddenly Saturday morning, three weeks after being injured in a minibus crash.
The 34-year-old seamstress, who suffered a broken leg and a fractured arm when the minivan in which she was travelling to Kingstown crashed in Lowmans Hill on Feb. 3, died three days after beginning to complain about chest pains.
Latifa Wales, 18, the oldest of Prince’s three children, said that the information communicated to them by health professionals suggest that her mother might have died of a blood clot.
Prince’s boyfriend, Daren Chance, told iWitness News that doctors have told him that they are working with that theory.
An autopsy is slated for Tuesday.
Wales told iWitness News that her mother died about 10:20 a.m. Saturday on her way to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, located some four miles from their South Leeward home.
The grieving daughter said the accident in which her mother was injured occurred while she was on the way to take a meal to her (Wales) at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, she having given birth the previous day.
She said that while she was attending to her newborn, a nurse told her that her mother had been injured in a minibus accident.
“When I went, I saw her in an injured condition crying. Her foot had a bruise, her hand was bruised and she had a bruise on her head,” Wales, said, adding that her mother was later assessed to have suffered a broken leg and arm.
She was released the following Thursday, Feb. 8, after going through a medical procedure to treat an injured bone.
Wales told iWitness News that after being discharged from the hospital, her mother only complained about pain in her leg.
However, three days before her death, she said her mother began complaining about shortness of breath.
“I didn’t take it as anything because the cast [was] heavy, so I thought it was just the cast.”
She, however, said that the Saturday her mother died, she was crying for water and tea.
“We gave her. I helped her clean her room. She ended up on the ground, saying she was going to rest,” she said, adding that her mother further complained about shortness of breath.
“All that time, she was not going as yet. She was still responding,” Wales said, adding that this was sometime after 8 a.m.
“And then she started acting up as if she was wheezing. And then two twos (shortly) after, the last thing she said was that she couldn’t see. And then she started to froth at the mouth.
“That is the last time I saw her face. When I got to the hospital, I couldn’t face her,” Wales said, adding that her mother died on the way to the hospital.
“But she been done start to give up on us home,” Wales said, explaining that her mother was already unresponsive when they set out for the hospital.
She said that she and her siblings, ages 16 and 11, were not coping well.
“Our mother was the provider in the family. Daddy was helping, but he was out of a job for a while,” Wales told iWitness News.
She spoke to iWitness News after she and some of her mother’s friends had completed a candlelight vigil.
She said that the event was helpful, emotionally.
It breaks my heart to look at this incredible photo! Wow, what a set up for DVT and subsequent PE. I guess things will change when medical people in the Caribbean are held accountable just like they are in the US.
From a medical background and personal experience I figured it was a pulmonary embolism she developed.
The medical condition is deplorable. Why shouldn’t a professional doctor knows that this lady after being hurt in a vehicular accident with broken bones and a cast placed on her, limiting her mobility not being given some sort of blood thinner or even educate her on signs and symptoms to look out for.
It’s rather sad because it’s not the first time this is happening.
Are you saying as a fact that she was not placed on blood thinners. As someone with a medical background who was aware of this why didn’t you do something
I completely agree with your assessment. I hope these situations are evaluated. I don’t know if there is some governing body that promotes care and quality improvement. If the medical system cannot properly monitor itself then each physician’s morbidity, mortality etc should be made public.
SVG is to backwards after all these years nothing has change the family should sue the hospial they’re responsible for her death.
So sorry to hear this, her symptoms presented was of a pulmonary embolism, its usually a touch and go if not caught within a certain time.It saddens me about whats taken place in st. Vincent healthcare system. My condolences to the family.
Wow so so sad the doctors didn’t even self send her for X-ray to see if any thing is wrong with her besides the broken leg what ah shame.
Seriously? Why would you put a cast on a swollen broken foot without treatment for swelling and for potential blood clots? This reminds me of similar case in 2000. Someone needs to beheld accountable. This is barbaric and criminal. Quite likely malpractice. My condolences and prayers for the family of the deceased.
This is so sad. I keep hearing about so many of these unnecessary deaths because people are being wrongly diagnosed.
A few weeks ago a white English woman had to be transferred from a SVG hospital to another Caribbean Island because SVG doctor’s couldn’t diagnose a simple appendicitis; and that incident was shared on English news channels.
Come on SVG if you cannot get the infrastructure of the country right it’s at risk of collapse.
Stay away from thathospital…DIE at home in peace. Vincy animals
That’s Dvt I have that and it’s not easy I have to take medication for life praying for her children
Who is going to be held accountable. We need situations like be reviewed by the court before more people become victims.
The lack of anticoagulants in a patient with post traumatic leg fractute is medical malpracrice. However please be aware that although it is highly likely this was a DVT/PE , a fractured long bone would have also put her at risk for a fat embolism, which traditional anticoagulants are ineffective. Sheldon Lewis, M.D.