E.R. DOC ALLEGEDLY MISDIAGNOSED CARDIAC ISSUE AS PNEUMONIA. GAVE ANTIBIOTICS.
According to the complaint, 55-year-old Shaun McCullers went to the West Boca emergency room on May 26, 2025, after three weeks of worsening shortness of breath. McCullers, a smoker with a history of severe high cholesterol, told staff his home nebulizer treatments were barely helping. The lawsuit claims Dr. Kotelnik diagnosed him with pneumonia and sent him home with antibiotics, without ordering an echocardiogram, calling in a cardiology consult, or admitting him for heart monitoring — steps the family’s attorneys argue were required given his symptoms and risk factors.
McCuller did not get better. He was hospitalized about a month later when doctors discovered his heart was functioning at just 20% capacity and found severe blockages in multiple coronary arteries. He underwent open-heart bypass surgery on July 2. By August 20, complications from cardiogenic shock had cut off blood flow to his legs, and he underwent bilateral below-the-knee amputations. McCullers died on September 13, 2025.
The lawsuit is brought by Michael V. Baxter as personal representative of McCullers’s estate. It claims the hospital and Paragon are vicariously liable for Dr. Kotelnik’s care, since he was acting as an employee or agent of both companies when he treated McCullers. The entire complaint is published below…