Jonathan Larson's untimely death could have been prevented, says his family, if two New York hospitals had detected his aortic aneurysm in time. The late composer's father, Allan Larson, and his sister, Julie Larson McCollum, have filed a $250 million malpractice suit against Cabrini Medical Center and St. Vincent's Hospital, claiming that the hospitals failed to diagnose his aortic aneurysm less than a week before he died in January at the age of 35.
On Jan. 21, they contend, the "Rent" author went to Cabrini's emergency room complaining of chest pains. He was X-rayed, diagnosed with food poisoning, and sent home. Two days later, emergency room doctors at St. Vincent's Hospital attributed his symptoms to a viral infection and discharged him. Larson died two days later, just hours before "Rent's" first scheduled performance at New York Theatre Workshop.
David Taback, attorney for the Larson family, said a "highly qualified" radiologist who reread Larson's X-rays from Cabrini reported that the aneurysm was visible. The doctor who read the X-ray at Cabrini, says Taback, was not a radiologist.
The suit was filed in New York County Supreme Court in March, but not made public until after the Tony Awards, where Larson received honors for best book and score of a musical.
St. Vincent's declined to comment on the case. Cabrini denied negligence, stating that it "believes the care rendered to Mr. Larson prior to his unfortunate death was ap