How did john ritter died in 8 simple rules

John ritter funeral

The lawsuit claimed that a radiologist failed to spot a purported enlargement of the aorta in a body scan conducted two years before Ritter's death and that there was malpractice by the cardiologist summoned to treat the actor at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, where he was diagnosed with a heart attack. The jury voted to clear Dr.

Joseph Lee, the cardiologist, and Dr. Matthew Lotysch, the radiologist, of the negligence claims. Ritter was 54 when he became ill while working on his hit sitcom "8 Simple Rules During the trial, the plaintiffs' attorneys sought to show that Lee rushed to a faulty diagnosis and failed to have a chest X-ray taken that would have revealed the torn aorta, resulting in surgery that would have saved him.

Testimony showed that an X-ray was ordered as soon as Ritter arrived at the emergency room but for unknown reasons it was never done. Lee was called in later in the evening after Ritter was already diagnosed with a heart attack. Defense testimony characterized the aortic dissection as lethal and contended that even with surgery the outcome would have been the same.

John ritter last words

Attorney Stephen C. Fraser, who represented Lotysch, credited jurors with being sophisticated and intelligent. Among the jury's findings was that Ritter was advised by the radiologist after the body scan to follow up with treatment by a physician and that the actor did not do so. The radiologist testified he advised Ritter he had calcification in three coronary arteries and should consult other doctors.

But the jury also found that Ritter's failure to pursue that medical consultation was not a cause of his death. A dissenting juror who refused to be identified said she tried to convince others to find the doctors negligent. She said she was impressed with the testimony of Ritter's widow and adult children, calling it "very poignant.