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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 27, 2022)
REGION Thursday, January 27, 2022 Lawsuit seeks $37.2M from doctor, St. Anthony Hospital By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian PENDLETON — A Pilot Rock man and his wife have fi led a lawsuit claiming St. Anthony Hospital, Pend- leton, and an emergency department doctor there provided substandard care that resulted in the paralysis of his legs and lower body. Gregory Denton and his spouse Melinda Wachter seek $37.2 million in all. Pickett Dummigan McCall, a personal injury law fi rm in Portland, fi led the lawsuit on Dec. 30 in Umatilla County Circuit Court. The lawsuit names the hospital and Dr. Sheldon Olen Wendler as the defendants. Accord i ng to t he complaint, Denton on the night of July 6, 2019, went to the Pendleton hospi- tal with symptoms of back pain, abdominal pain and bilateral lower extremity paralysis. He was 54 and had a “well-documented medical history of pelvic fractures and a deep-vein thrombosis” and was on the anticoagulant Coumadin, according to the lawsuit. Denton talked to doctors, received a computed tomog- raphy — CT — scan and examinations, and doctors noted Denton had a history of abdominal pain, back pain and gall stones. The hospital discharged Denton at around 2:40 a.m. July 7 without determining the cause of the pain in his back and abdomen nor the paral- ysis. Denton woke July 7 to more numbness in his legs and with the pain still in his abdomen. The conditions worsened as the day went on until Denton returned to the emergency department, and at about 11:20 p.m. saw Wendler. By then, accord- ing to the lawsuit, Denton had lost all sensation and motor strength from his waist down to his feet. Wendler examined Denton and noted he was unable to move his legs. The doctor at 12:54 a.m. July 8, ordered CT scans. Another doctor saw the scans and noted a lesion on Denton’s spine that may represent a tumor. He advised Denton East Oregonian A3 M-F Wineries peak with Watermill expansion By HECTOR DEL CASTILLO Walla Walla Union-Bulletin MILTON-FREEWATER — Interest in wine process- ing is gaining momentum in Milton-Freewater with construction well under- way to expand the already massive Watermill building, on East Broadway Avenue, providing new winemakers with a facility they could use to get started. The building covers about 100,000 square feet and is shared by Watermill Winery and five other small wine businesses. Expansion will add about 65% more room and the potential for a bigger wine-making hub. Milton-Freewater City Manager Linda Hall reported she has received more appli- cations for liquor licenses in anticipation of the Watermill expansion. Watermill winemaker Andrew Brown stated Thurs- day, Jan. 20, the project is about 70% complete. “What we’re looking at is servicing people who want to be in the wine industry, in ways that aren’t provided in Milton-Freewater at this time,” Brown said. “Basi- cally, that’s full service wine production from receiving to packaging and everything in the middle, which includes fermentation, analysis, aging wine and barrel.” Wine processing may not be new to the Walla Walla Valley, which was desig- nated an American Viti- cultural Area in 1984 and is now home to about 120 wineries in both Southeast Washington and Northeast- ern Oregon. But nestled within its 502 square miles is the relatively young and tiny The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. It’s less than 6 square miles and already has 33 wine-growing members since becoming its own AVA in 2015. The number of members keeps going up. “It’s a very desirable loca- tion because it’s very distinc- tive,” Walla Walla Valley Wine Executive Director Robert Hansen said. “The grapes they grow there have very noticeable and recogniz- able traits, and there’s very savory wine qualities that come from the stones of that region. I think it’s desirable due to its uniqueness.” The Brown family has undergo a magnetic reso- nance imaging, or MRI, scan. But St. Anthony was not equipped to perform an MRI and respond to a neurosurgical emergency, the lawsuit states, so Wend- ler began to arrange to transfer Denton somewhere that could help him. At about 3 a.m. Oregon Health & Science University, Port- land, recommended trans- ferring Denton there. Wendler at 3:25 a.m. arranged for a Pendleton ambulance to take Denton to OSHU rather than on an emergency aircraft. But the ambulance was not dispatched until 7:30 a.m. and left St. Anthony at 7:45 a.m. for the drive to the Portland hospital. Denton arrived at OHSU at 11:05 a.m. July 8, and had an MRI and neurosurgery consultation. Tests showed Denton’s blood was too thin for surgery. The neuro- surgery department at 4:36 p.m. recommended reversing his blood’s condi- tion in anticipation of surgery. “Plaintiff was taken to the operating room with the hope of decompressing the spinal cord,” according to the lawsuit. “Unfortunately, the procedure failed.” The spinal epidural hematoma in Denton’s spine expanded with continued bleeding over the course of days, the lawsuit states, and by the time the procedure at OHSU began, the damage it had caused to Denton’s spine was irreversible. Accord i ng to t he complaint, the substan- dard care Denton claims he received resulted in delays that led to his suff er- ing neuropathy, nervous system problems with his bladder and urination and permanent paralysis of the legs and lower body. The pleading asks for $200,000 in economic damages, $15 million for future treatment and care and $20 million for noneconomic damages, including emotional and mental pain and distress. State court records do not yet show responses from St. Anthony Hospital and Wendler. Greg Lehman, Walla Walla Union-Bulletin From left, Israel Zenteno, Studio Production winemaker; Brian Roy, Watermill Brand wine- maker; Abe Currin, Studio and Brand cidermaker; and Andrew Brown, founder and general manager at the expanded production facility in Milton-Freewater, Friday, Jan. 21, 2022. long been preparing for wine ing rooms that helps drive processing to catch on around the industry on our side of Milton-Freewater. the Valley.” Watermill was founded Interest in the Watermill in 2005, not long after the facility, according to Brown, Browns planted their first already has come from wine- vineyard. That followed makers in Walla Walla as more than a century well as other parts of of family farming and Oregon and Wash- commercial apple ington and even as growing. far south as Califor- “It’s been desired nia. by the industry for a “We’re set up as long time,” Andrew to host alternating Brown said. “I think proprietors,” Brown you’re starting to Brown said. “Basically what see more consumer interest in the wines that are that means is that people who produced out of the region, have existing winery licenses so now it’s a little more possi- in the state of Oregon, or ble for wineries to put a stake people who want to have a in the ground and produce winery license in the state of wines that are recognized.” Oregon, can actually share More wine business our space legally. There’s would mean an increase in some advantages to that, that competition, but Watermill would make it a better busi- likes the idea. ness strategy.” “The more the merrier, “What our facility allows that’s what I say,” Brown is for startups to basically get stated. “Honestly it’s been licensing without the infra- something for my family, and structure costs of setting up for our business, that we’ve a facility or building.” hoped for over the past 15 Along with increased years, to really have a core wine production interest in of winery facilities and tast- Milton-Freewater comes preparations to enhance the experience of consumers. Tasting rooms would help bring in more tourism dollars, much like Walla Walla has generated from its downtown plaza. Watermill is expected to unveil an upgraded patio at the winery this spring, with the addition of food service as well as the return of live music. Across the street from the Watermill Winery is sched- uled to be a new Los Rocosos tasting room, with prepara- tions for an opening this spring. And more continues to develop for Milton-Freewa- ter wines, according to the city manager, who is excited about the possibilities. “It means notoriety, quite frankly,” Hall said. “I think it’ll eventually be a huge draw. We’re already seeing increases in the numbers of businesses that are coming here with liquor license applications because of that facility. Obviously more jobs, more money at the economy. Always a good thing.” Get strong, fast Wi-Fi to work and play throughout your home. ^ FEEL THE SPEED, EVEN AT PEAK TIMES. No annual contract. Based on wired connection to gateway. Power multiple devices at once— everyone can enjoy their own screen. Number of devices depends on screen size/resolution. Over 99% reliability. Excludes DSL. Based on network availability. 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