Woman Dies After Alleged 12-Hour Wait At Shands Emergency Room
Woman Complains Of Abdominal Pain, Dies Of Blood Clot
Michael Speed still can't believe his girlfriend, 38-year-old Alberta Proctor, is dead. A blood clot killed her, and Speed knew she had a history of seizures. But he had no idea she was suffering a life-threatening condition.
In the weeks before her death, she went to Shands Hospital's ER twice.
"It was abdominal pains, and she said she could feel it moving. … She could feel it moving up inside her," explained Speed of his girlfriend's condition.
"We just sit there and sit there and sit there," he said.
On Dec. 22, Proctor went to Shands after having a seizure. Speed said they got there at 10 a.m. and she was triaged -- meaning someone in the ER took her vitals and evaluated her condition.
Speed said she didn't see a doctor until 11 hours later, and she didn't leave the hospital until 5 a.m.
On Jan. 3, Speed said he took her back to the ER at 2 p.m. with chest pains. He said Proctor was triaged at 2:15 p.m., then triaged again at 10 p.m. According to Speed, they sat there until 1:55 a.m. without seeing a doctor, and that's when Proctor said she was leaving.
"I tried to convince her to stay," Speed said. "I said, 'We already weathered the hardest part of the storm. Let's stay.' She said, 'No, let's go.'"
Just two days after the second ER visit, Speed called 911.
"Then she said, 'It's moving, it's moving.' Then she grabbed her chest," he said.
Proctor died before she even got to the hospital. Speed said if he could go back in time, he would have never left Shands Jan. 3. But he still wants to know why it was taking so long to see a doctor.
In a written statement, Shands said:
"Shands Jacksonville takes patient care very seriously, especially in an emergency. We have reviewed the police report and have also internally reviewed the care of this patient. Our goal is to see patients in a timely manner and length of stay will vary depending upon the symptoms presented by the patient and/or the severity of illness."
Speed said his healing would take some time. He's trying not to think of the "what ifs," but he said it's difficult.
Copyright 2004 by News4Jax.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.






An 11-year-old Gainesville girl called 911 and helped her mom deliver her newborn baby sister when the big moment came before they could get to the hospital.
A hurricane watch went up Sunday from southeastern Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle as Hurricane Ida becomes a Category 2 hurricane.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has identified the man police shot after he allegedly robbed a Family Dollar store on the Northside.
Sept. 9, 2008: Ponte Vedra Beach mother Quinn Gray describes her very physical relationship with the man she said abducted her.
Crime scene investigators took video of inside Quinn Gray's home the night she was reported missing. Detectives were looking for evidence. Gray claimed she was forced from her home at gunpoint and cops considered it a crime scene.
Five men visiting Gainesville for a massive underground punk party were arrested after police said they beat an officer and it was all caught on tape.
Police said Osmanovic and Gray spent several nights at a south metro motel, and on one particular morning, Osmanovic wore a recording device and said he was going back to the hotel room to be with Gray.
The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office arrested 34 people Friday morning in connection with illegal narcotics transactions.
SEE IT, SNAP IT, SEND IT: Thousands of eyes and nearly as many cameras pointed toward the sky over Jacksonville's beaches this weekend for the Sea & Air Spectacular.
Quinn Gray showed investigators marks on her arms and legs she said were the result of her kidnapping.
Slideshow
An 800 square foot mobile home in Nassau County was destroyed by fire Tuesday night. Both residents in the home escaped safely.
Capturing N.E. Florida's wanted suspects is a tough task, so the local station is trying to help with the Wheel of Justice. Every Thursday morning, the wheel spins and a wanted fugitive is profiled.
Images: Fugitives On 'Wheel'
An extimated 200,000 people came to NAS Jacksonville Sunday to see the annual air show.
Images From Air Show