A very serious brain injury, possibly overlooked or misdiagnosed as less serious, results in a very serious lawsuit for New York Commission.
Attorney for brain-damaged boxer Magomed Abdusalamov files negligence suit against New York State Athletic Commission
The report says that despite numerous injuries, Abdusalamov was never transported by ambulance to a hospital by the commission doctors who checked him out following his decision loss to Mike Perez
Friday, March 28, 2014. By Mitch Abramson New York Daily News, via nydailynews.com. The attorney representing brain-damaged boxer Magomed Abdusalamov filed the long-awaited lawsuit alleging negligence and medical mismanagement by New York State Athletic Commission doctors, as well as several other parties who oversaw the heavyweight bout on Nov. 2 at Madison Square Garden that left Abdusalamov in a coma, according to an ESPN report. Despite myriad injuries, Abdusalamov was never transported by ambulance to a hospital by the commission doctors who checked him out following his decision loss to Mike Perez, the report says. Instead, he had to hail a cab and unsupervised, with only his handlers to shepherd him, made his way to Roosevelt Hospital perhaps a mile from the Garden. Though Abdusalamov complained of head pain, he was only told by the commission doctors to get examined a day or two following the bout, according to the ESPN report. “These doctors screwed up beyond belief,” the fighter’s attorney, Paul Edelstein told ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” on Wednesday, the same day the suit was filed in Kings County Court. “Not giving him proper post-fight medical attention was reckless and egregious; not stopping the fight was negligent.” The state inspector general initiated an investigation in November into the circumstances surrounding the fight at the urging of the office of New York’s Secretary of State, the administrative body overseeing the commission. But the investigation is still ongoing. On Wednesday, Gov. Cuomo appointed the New York-based attorney and fight manager David Berlin as the commission’s new executive director, a job he will start on May 1. The suit does not specify monetary damages, but says Abdusalamov will need exhaustive medical care for years to come, according to the ESPN report. The referee for the bout, the commission’s inspector, Madison Square Garden, K2 Promotions and five state commission doctors, including Dr. Barry Jordan, the commission’s chief medical officer, are named in the suit, the report said. Edelstein said he was unable to sue the commission directly because of a policy that makes it protected against legal action. Abdusalamov, who turned 33 on Tuesday, remains confined to a hospital bed and has “regained slight movement and can only follow simple commands” but he “may never walk or talk again,” the report said. He underwent additional surgery on Thursday that was deemed a success, the report said. Related story. Family of brain-damaged boxer Magomed Abdusalamov will seek $100 million
