William Martinez was a police officer with the city of Atlanta Police Department. On March 12, 2009, Martinez engaged in a ménage à trois with an unidentified male friend and a woman, and died. According to court documents, Martinez, 31, “had a medical history of uncontrolled hypertension, hyperlipidemia and sleep apnea … an echocardiogram [performed Feb. 26, 2008] showed [an] abnormal left ventricle wall thickness with a normal sized left ventricle, moderate concentric left ventricular hypertrophy and trace aortic regurgitation.”
Martinez was instructed to maintain a healthy diet and weight, begin an exercise regimen, and to use statins for high or borderline cholesterol levels and to “promptly seek medical attention” if he experienced symptoms for more than five minutes. In March 2009, when Martinez went to his primary physician for a prescription refill for his blood pressure medicines, he complained of recurring chest pains that occurred on average of 3 to 4 times per day over the course of a week and a half. He was referred by his primary care physician to see a cardiologist at CardioVascular Group, P.C. in Gwinnett County, Ga.
Man Engages in Ménage à Trois and Dies; Wife Wins $5 Million Lawsuit
Martinez was placed under the care of Sreeni R. Gangasani, MD, FACC. Dr. Gangasani performed an exam, noted Martinez’s condition and advised him to get a thallium stress test on the “first available appointment with their office, to go to an emergency room if the symptoms lasted more than five minutes,” according to court documents. Martinez’s stress test was scheduled for Friday, March 13, 2009. At approximately, 3 a.m. on March 12, 2009, Martinez had sexual intercourse with a woman multiple times at the EconoLodge hotel, near the Atlanta Airport. On a trip to the restroom, the woman witnessed Martinez breathing hard and snoring. He then fell onto the floor unconscious. The woman ran to the front desk to get help.
Paramedics arrived and found Martinez unconscious and with no pulse. Officer Martinez was transported to South Fulton Medical Center where he was pronounced dead on March 12, 2009, at 3:57 a.m. An autopsy revealed that the cause of death was atherosclerotic coronary artery disease.
He left behind a wife, Sugeidy Martinez, and two sons, then ages 4 and 6. Check out the video of claimant’s attorneys from Edmond and Lindsay, LLP, to see how his wife won a $5 million judgment against Dr. Sreeni R. Gangasani and CardioVascular Group, P.C. for “negligence” and failing to “instruct Martinez to discontinue physical activity until the completion of his cardiac workup.” –yvette caslin
