Family Gets $5 Million In Montco Man's Hospital Death

ABINGTON, PA -- The family of a Montgomery County man who died at Abington Hospital will receive $5 million, a Montgomery County jury ruled Friday.

Marvin Summerford died at the age of 88 in 2008 when a feeding tube was misplaced.

Summerford's X-rays were reportedly misread by cardiologists, which led a feeding tube to fill his left lung for several hours.

"A verdict like this is not uncommon in a case where you have clear negligence, unspeakable pain and suffering for nearly twelve hours while the decedent’s lung filled with feeding solution, and where the family lost a loving father, grandfather, and great grandfather," the Summerford familiy attorney, Michael Trunk, told Patch.

Summerford's arms were restrained during the procedure because he removed the first feeding tube that was placed in him, the report states.

"This was an unfortunate outcome for the family," Abington Hospital said in a statement Monday. "However, the hospital is disappointed in the award and is considering post-trial options."

Trunk noted that asking the jury to put themselves in the shoes of Summerford and recognizing his intense suffering may have swayed them.

"I believe (convincing them) was my asking them to break down the pain and suffering by every second, minute, and hour of those nearly twelve hours during which Mr. Summerford was slowly drowning," Trunk said. "That’s a very long time for someone to suffer, and the jury understood that and rendered a fair and reasonable verdict based on the facts and evidence.

Abington Hospital-Jefferson Health is located on 1200 Old York Road in Abington.