Pickforddick

Sat, Mar 10, 2012 : 12:49 a.m.

May I suggest that when all the evidence is looked at that it will show that the Doctor did what he was supposed to do to help this patient, even if the patient may have thought otherwise. The Doctor had a lot of training for his job and should be given the benefit of the doubt.

Ann English

Sat, Mar 10, 2012 : 12:41 a.m.

So now we know he didn't shoot himself. There's definitely less reason, with the additional information, for him to be angry at himself than before. From the others, I conclude that Williams was frightened at the new difficulty in breathing; emotions can take over what one says or even thinks in such a condition. Someone suggested that the doctor tried to wake him up; I can see how shaking and yelling can be ways to wake someone up, if he really had been asleep, but I now I wonder if Williams was starting to pass out from his difficulty breathing. At least the doctor didn't do something that others in other situations do to wake people up: pour water in Williams' face. Nobody could defend a DOCTOR doing THAT to someone who was having enough trouble breathing in a DRY environment.

eagleman

Fri, Mar 9, 2012 : 9:43 p.m.

He would like the doctor to be prosecuted, but where is the evidence? Is there any? Right now all we have is a the doctor's words vs the patients'. This matter will be settled in court for a healthy sum. I think we all know that is where this is heading.

Pickforddick

Fri, Mar 9, 2012 : 7:55 p.m.

There is not enough evidence in this case to justify punishing anyone, why are some people assuming the Dr is guilty without hearing the evidence and why is A2.com allowing this?

Wolf's Bane

Fri, Mar 9, 2012 : 7:40 p.m.

Sounds like the Doctor requires a bit of sensitivity training when treating Quadriplegics. Besides, the odds are already stacked against Mr. Lukequan Williams: <a href="http://www.apparelyzed.com/articles/Life-Expectancy/life-expectancy.html" rel='nofollow'>http://www.apparelyzed.com/articles/Life-Expectancy/life-expectancy.html</a> Sad situation.

A2centsworth

Fri, Mar 9, 2012 : 7:30 p.m.

There is no excuse for the doctor who allegedly mistreated this patient. The doctors and staff of a hospital are in a position of power over a patient, especially a quadreplegic, who cannot move. If the allegations are correct, and this doctor did physically assault this patient, there should be consequences, as this should never ever happen, no matter what the circumstances. This doctor had other options. He could have insisted on a psychological evaluation, counseled or the patient could have been given drugs to help with his anxiety. The article did not say if other options were tried or considered. I am sure there are things about this case that we do not know about. But judging from the information in this article, I am personally disappointed by the doctors' choice of behavior toward this young man. He was in a position to know better.

Pickforddick

Fri, Mar 9, 2012 : 7:19 p.m.

The Doctor is right IMO

Lovaduck

Fri, Mar 9, 2012 : 6:40 p.m.

May God have pity on him. No matter what he has done, imagine for a moment what it must be like to live as he does!

Lisa

Fri, Mar 9, 2012 : 6:18 p.m.

It sad some of the comments made. One this person is learning to deal with a mistake in there lives that happened . They are learning to deal with no freedom, disabilities etc. Its all new but all everyone can say is he verbal abused a nurse. We were not there. I understand because maybe the nurse doesn't want to loose there jobs .Do you know the abuse us disabled people get.? No not unless your disabled. The unkindness, the glares the stares .Doctors making your records reflect otherwise if you try and ask a question .You are hopeless and helpless and at the mercy of these people . If this was you, your son, your mother, your father, your aunt your grandma it would be a different story. I think a psychologist if the nurse felt so threatened she of been called in.This is new to this young boy but he had no one accept a cell phone and his mother to protect him and his new found disabilities. Is this another outstanding Ann Arbor Citizen Doctor ? My point is it can happen to anyone of us minding your own business wrong place wrong time and bam your life forever changed because someone choose to drive drunk and hit you.You are robbed at a gas station and shot see my point let them do there jobs and then make your comments .Do you think we sleep at night , do you think we are any different then you guys with the use of your bodies.Stop violating this man further he has a long road emotionally, mentally and physically to deal with. So many disturbing sick comments and people clicking like comment remember this could be you. I pray for you young man in your long recovery.

lumberg48108

Fri, Mar 9, 2012 : 3:57 p.m.

I honestly see both sides of this issue but I want to step back and talk about how we deal with things as a society. Not too long ago, these relatively minor altercations would have been handled internally and there would not be a need for criminal charges. Now, we call the police and expect &quot;charges&quot; in every day life for things we used to deal with one-on-one. Let's ask ourselves, is life better in 2012 when every minor or seemingly mundane issue involves police and courts? We as a society used to handle these issues w.o the police. I understand why things changed (mostly civil liability) but is this a good thing? And endless stories in the local media outlet only exacerbates the situation leading to more of the same and an endless cycle ensues. We have all played a role in how we got here but I want to ask everyone - do you like where we are?

Chelsea8226

Fri, Mar 9, 2012 : 3:48 p.m.

Here is a idea: It's called PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY! Lukequan is responsible for his actions. He is an adult and is in a difficult situation but it is not ok to treat the people taking of you in the way he has treated hospital staff. The physician is a adult. He/she are responsible for their actions. A difficult patient or challenging family are no excuse to act unprofessionally. BOTH parties are equally to blame for this situation escalating to the point that it has. No one is completely right or wrong. Hopefully this is will be a learning experience for both parties. Hopefully both parties will move forward and learn that their actions have consequences.

austin8

Fri, Mar 9, 2012 : 3:43 p.m.

I'm amazed how so many people continue to blame the hospital staff and how they need to be more professional. Was the Doc out of line? Yes. Was the Patient out of line? Yes. Regardless of his situation, threatening to bite/spit on staff is not excusable. How would he feel if another patient treated his mother that way? If anyone, he should be sympathetic towards nursing staff since I'm sure he knows first hand how lousy (and rewarding) the job can be. As for those who are inserting race into this situation, quit being absurd. The young man is alive because of the excellent staff and first responders being &quot;professional&quot;.

Fiddlesticks

Fri, Mar 9, 2012 : 1:39 p.m.

I wonder if many of the commenters here would be so quick to condemn the patient if he was white, or say, an Iraq/Afghanistan veteran who had been paralyzed. I can only imagine that people in this kind of situation, no matter who they are, are going to get overwhelmed sometimes. My guess is threatening to spit on and bite people is par for the course in people as they progress through the psychological ramifications of such a traumatic injury and it is the job of the medical staff dealing with the patient to expect that and be ready to deal with it in a professional manner. Kind of like police officers.

BigMike

Fri, Mar 9, 2012 : 12:40 p.m.

Lee, &quot;got in his face&quot; is a colloquialism. You can use it within quotation marks if that's what your interviewee said, but it there may be a more grammatically correct way to say it as part of your reporter's voice!

Pickforddick

Fri, Mar 9, 2012 : 12:20 p.m.

My vote goes to the doctor for bravery

Chris Baty

Fri, Mar 9, 2012 : 10:18 a.m.

I have Cerebral Palsy and I used to work at the hospital. I was proud of how the medical staff communicated with every one. Recently, when my Mother got sick and I escorted her to ER, I was disappointed with the level of communication. I don't know whether the staff is under more pressure but I do know that their communication skills have declined over the years. I'm sure this was a factor.

mary

Fri, Mar 9, 2012 : 9:59 a.m.

Honestly, I really feel for this kid and his family. I have worked in hospitals for years and I can attest to the fact that both physicians and nurses can be abusive to patients that they find &quot;difficult&quot;. Yes their jobs are stressful, but that doesn't ever make it right to do some of the things they do. I have always found that the more helpless and anxious the patient, the more problematic they can be to work with. This is a very young man who is suddenly at the mercy of everyone for his every need.. At any moment they can refuse or withold treatment that could be life saving or at the least make their life more comfortable or pain free. It is a helpless and terrifying situation to be in as a patient. The doctor needs to be removed from this case for his protection and for the safety and well being of the patient. Quite frankly the doctor needs to be put on notice that this behavior is not tolerated at this hospital. Same goes for the nurses and other staff that deal with this patient. I don't care how obnoxious he is, the patient will not become better behaved by treating him this way. Give him the help he needs like some visits with a mental health professional so he can learn some good coping skills and grieve the loss of his life as he knew it. None of us would want to be this kid or go through what he is enduring. Hospital staff, especially doctors (who are still treated as gods, especially in the hospital setting) have no excuse whatsoever for their performance.......really shameful, not to mention a potential lawsuit. Go see the shrink yourself if you find yourself having trouble dealing with this patient.

snapshot

Fri, Mar 9, 2012 : 7:17 a.m.

I don't care what a quad says after his or her accident, doctors and nurses are trained to handle these situation, or at least that's what they profess when asking for more money and hero status.

snapshot

Fri, Mar 9, 2012 : 7:07 a.m.

And nurses and doctors save lives.....but only if they deem them worthy?

Woodchuck

Fri, Mar 9, 2012 : 1:32 a.m.

I feel very sad for this young man. We must also be reminded that doctors are human too, and the stresses in emergency care situations can be terrible. I am profoundly angry that once again, we're all going to be stuck paying for this man's long term care. Perhaps some day we'll considering taxing guns and ammunition at a level that recovers some of the staggering costs that they currently impose on all of us, both from carelessness and accidents and from intentional violence, but given the strength of the gun lobby I doubt this will happen any time soon.

sh1

Fri, Mar 9, 2012 : 1:21 a.m.

Can someone explain why this story, when first reported, indicated that the doctor had &quot;hit&quot; this patient? Shaking an arm is definitely not the same thing.

Ann23

Fri, Mar 9, 2012 : 1:08 a.m.

Also, it is not only medical professionals who need to be diplomatic and able to handle difficult situations in their job. However, an ER doctor is a profession in which those in it should expect to be confronted with others in physical and emotional distress often and be ready to handle it. What if the patient had been younger? Would people be making the same negative comments against them? I hope not. Would I have any confidence in this doctor dealing with an angry and bitter 10 year who was virtually helpless and at his mercy? NO

Ann23

Fri, Mar 9, 2012 : 12:40 a.m.

It seems to me that he is in a state of psychological distress and understandably so. He was a victim of a gunshot wound, whether it was his gun or not, he did not shoot a gun or threaten a life. As a result he is completely reliant upon medical professionals, especially while he is a patient at the hospital in which the professionals have chosen to work. Yes, people who have gone through trauma can be difficult and hard to deal with. They are human. If a medical professional can't help them with that, instead of being angry and threatening they should leave and let somebody else more capable handle it. They should not be threatening to somebody who is completely reliant upon them and their collegues for life. They fact that the doctor intruded on a call to the patient's mother and that it ended with her being hung up on while he pleaded for help says something to me.

Bear

Thu, Mar 8, 2012 : 11:28 p.m.

Looks like he (or someone did it for him) took down the picture of the handgun that he had on his fb page. 19 years old and possessing what appeared to be a 44. magnum revolver with at least a 6&quot; barrel. Handguns are nothing to play with. Handing a loaded weapon around is just plain nuts! A loaded weapon is a dangerous weapon. If you are showing a weapon around, first thing to do is unload it and make personally sure it is SAFE! The only reason to carry a loaded weapon is if you are going to USE it!

ViSHa

Thu, Mar 8, 2012 : 10:49 p.m.

So the mother is saying that the only threats her son has made towards the staff is biting and spitting? No other types of threats, yet security had been called twice? Is it typical to call security/police for spitting and biting? Story just seems not complete, but I imagine there will be more to come.

Bear

Thu, Mar 8, 2012 : 10:21 p.m.

It was this boy's weapon that his cousin was playing with. Boys playing with a weapon as if it's a toy. This is what happens all too often when you do that. We've all made mistakes. it's unfortunate that he has to pay the heavy price for it. And I wish people would shut up about the taxpayer money thing. It's getting repetitive and dumb. You don't like the laws, vote in people who are going to change them. The people who've put these laws on the books in the first place are the one's who did what the people who voted them in asked. People ask for stiffer sentencing and take away a judge's ability to use latitude in his judgment; then the same folks gripe because their taxes go to pay for it. You cannot have it both ways. Of course, there are those that are all for using slave labor for convicts. Just like Communist China. Ironic. For this poor kid, it's a real tough road ahead; he's got to try to reclaim control over his body for a stupid mistake. For the rest of us, we should count our blessings and quit griping.

genetracy

Thu, Mar 8, 2012 : 10:07 p.m.

So the doctor apologized to Lukequan's mother but &quot;that was not enough&quot;. No one was hurt, so what is enough? A $100,000? Oh wait.

julieswhimsies

Thu, Mar 8, 2012 : 10:06 p.m.

There is nothing in this article that mentions whether or not hospital personnel witnessed this doc's alleged actions. But, knowing how the University and how it handles crime. I suspect there were witnesses, or the Powers that Be would not have suspended this doc for allegedly grabbing the man's arm. This must be some angry young man. I know I would be, if I were in his condition. It also sounds like the doc (if he DID grab this man's arm) needs anger management classes.

trespass

Thu, Mar 8, 2012 : 9:15 p.m.

&quot;A caregiver is guilty of vulnerable adult abuse in the first degree if the caregiver intentionally causes serious physical harm or serious mental harm to a vulnerable adult. Vulnerable adult abuse in the first degree is a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than 15 years or a fine of not more than $10,000.00, or both.&quot; A quadraplegic patient is clearly a vulnerable adult. The doctor threatened him with physical harm because he had complained about his care. It seems to me that this qualifies as abuse of a vulnerable adult. I have taken care of a lot of head injury patients and I will guarantee you that the first thing they say when they wake up will be laced with 4 letter words. Doctors and nurses are trained to understand the many phases of grief, one of which is anger. We should all be able to handle that without resorting to physical threats. In extreme cases, patients can be transferred to other facilities or they can sign out against medical advice. The patient had recently been changed from suctioning every two hours to every six hours and he was having difficulty with the change. Imagine yourself paralyzed and without any control over your medical care being told that you need to follow the doctors orders even if you feel like you are drowning in your own secretions. If he gets frustrated and lashes out and the nurse is not allowed to change his orders, call the doctor and let him speak to someone who has the control. The point is that this is not that unusual a situation in an acute trauma hospital. There is just no cause to resort to physical threats.

Ray Flower

Thu, Mar 8, 2012 : 9:04 p.m.

So tell me, When is it ok for a Doctor to Threaten to HURT a parapalegic to his parents. When will you consider it appropriate for a Doctor to threaten to hurt YOUR old mother/fater, young daughter/son...I mean, when is it OK to do this? When is it ok to threaten to hurt someone that has ZERO ability to defend themselves? If your answer is not NEVER, YOU are the one with serious issues. ... ... ... in my humble opinion.

tigirr

Thu, Mar 8, 2012 : 8:43 p.m.

Too many loop holes in this story!! Sounds like a perfect get rich quick scheme to me.... Just saying!!

justcurious

Thu, Mar 8, 2012 : 8:14 p.m.

The Doctor had no business getting angry to the point of actually shaking this man's arm and yelling at him. As Ms. Williams said, he should have been professional and just left the room. I would suspect that he was throwing his weight around a bit for the benefit of the staff. There are few sensations as horrible as not being able to breath, ask a severe asthmatic, it would cause panic in anyone. Doctors and nurses are not saints but they must be able to be professional and understand their patient's needs. Being 19 and paralyzed, no matter from what, is one of the real tragedies in this world. Don't be so quick to judge.

CONCERNED CITIZEN

Thu, Mar 8, 2012 : 8:12 p.m.

Playing with a handgun?????????????What kind of home life do these people have? I sure hope the doctor is continuing to receive his pay. I bet a big money settlement is what this family is after!

Davidian

Thu, Mar 8, 2012 : 7:59 p.m.

Show some respect Mr. Williams, and respect will be shown in return.

Dan Shields

Thu, Mar 8, 2012 : 7:54 p.m.

I agree with Richard, it seems a little dirty how everyone is blaming the patient here and saying that he shouldn't have made threats. Obviously he shouldn't have, but lets get the facts straight, this man is only 19 and has lost the use of his body. I am pretty sure anyone especially this young is prone to having anger issues because of the state they are in. Doctors and Nurses are professional trained to deal with this sort of grief period. Nurses are threatened and talked to all the time this way, its just the nature of either dying or being severely wounded. My sister is a nurse in the cardiac unit at U of M and I hear stuff like this all the time.

Tesla

Thu, Mar 8, 2012 : 7:49 p.m.

How absolutely ridiculous and what an incredible waste of valuable resources investigating this not to mention the suspension and loss of a qualified doctor in the area.

Meg

Thu, Mar 8, 2012 : 7:46 p.m.

rosewater, why do you say Ms. Williams is not licensed? According to the State of Michigan, she has an active LPN license. Just curious what your intent is.

leezee

Thu, Mar 8, 2012 : 7:46 p.m.

But it's okay to threaten the hospital staff without ramifications? Threatening to bite or spit on someone, but then expecting them to get near enough to provide suction. It's awful that this guy lost so much, but that does not give him a pass to treat others poorly.

reallypeople69

Thu, Mar 8, 2012 : 7:43 p.m.

Lukequan says &quot;...all I can do is talk.&quot; Well that's not completely true. He can spit at or bite people which his own mother states he has threatened to do. That would make me a little hesitant about going near someones face with a suction-tube to suction out a tracheostomy which is what Lukequan says he was upset about a nurse not doing as much as he though they should be. HIs mother also stated that she has been bitten and spit on and has had to walk away from patients when she has gotten frustrated but I can't help but that think that if staff had walked away from Lukequan due to his threats we would all be reading an article about how a quadriplegic patient was abandoned. I don't think it's okay for medical staff to put there hands on a patient in anger but I also think that Lukequan needs to take some responsibility here.

pseudo

Thu, Mar 8, 2012 : 7:34 p.m.

ok this is the second article written in this blog that reads more like a old-style hatchet job in the national equirer rather than some sort of reporting of events. what are you folks trying to achieve with this stuff?

Richard

Thu, Mar 8, 2012 : 7:32 p.m.

I suspect that most people, including the people criticizing Williams, would think differently if they were paralyzed and were having trouble breathing.

annarbor28

Thu, Mar 8, 2012 : 7:26 p.m.

Sounds like UM security should have done more to monitor this young man, after he threatended staff members. Just saying he did &quot;nothing illegal&quot; is not enough. Did they send in a sitter to stay with him to help the staff? Did they call in Social Work or a Psychologist to help him through his transition? Hospital staff should not have to take verbal or physical abuse from patients, and if a patient is acting hostile or aggressive, there needs to be much more support for the staff. My guess is that the doctor had just had heard one too many harsh words from this man, and there was no one helping out with this patient's anger at his situation that day. Tough situation all the way around, but I think the family is taking it way too far. they need to deal with this young man's future, rather than speaking with lawyers. Where's the patient's apology for his anger and alleged threats towards staff?

EyeHeartA2

Thu, Mar 8, 2012 : 7:21 p.m.

So this whole bru-ha-ha is over shaking the guys arm? Wow. Just....wow.

Ryan

Thu, Mar 8, 2012 : 7:16 p.m.

&quot;Lukequan Williams was paralyzed early June 3 when his cousin, Jerome Dye, was playing with a handgun at a Harry Street home and it discharged, court records show. Williams was shot in the neck and his spine was damaged. Dye, 23, later pleaded no contest in Washtenaw County Circuit Court to discharging a firearm resulting in injury, discharging a firearm in a building and possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony. He is serving a minimum of two years in prison.&quot; Seems to me like his cousin should have been sentenced to taking care of young Mr. Williams instead of being put in a cage on the taxpayer dime. More wasted money on a sentence that helps no one.

a2roots

Thu, Mar 8, 2012 : 7:07 p.m.

Sounds like if this guy has a beef it should be with his cousin who shot him and not the people there to help him. Has he apologized for his actions? Why should the nurses and doctors be subjected to his threats and awful behavior? He should be thanking them every moment while in their care.