Rappahannock News eEdition

After young man’s death, claims of ‘medical negligence’

David Collins Jeck Jr. was in talks to become head chef at Sperryville pub

BY JAMES JARVIS AND BEN PETERS

Fauquier County Public Schools Superintendent David Jeck is suing Fauquier Hospital and three other hospital sta /agents for medical negligence, which he claims contributed to the 2021 death of his son, David Collins Jeck Jr., who died seven days a er being taken to the hospital’s emergency department.

Before he died, Jeck Jr. was in talks to purchase Sperryville’s Headmaster’s Pub and to take over as head chef, his father said earlier this year.

The $15 million suit, led on Nov. 15 with Fauquier County Circuit Court, alleges the defendants, Fauquier Medical Center, LLC, Advanced Digestive

Care, LLC, Gastroenterology Associates, and Dr. Titan K. O’Connell, committed “negligent and/or reckless acts and/or omissions” by failing to:

• Provide gastroenterology specialist consultant services to treat Jeck a er he arrived at Fauquier Hospital.

• Implement a contingency plan a er the specialist could not be reached.

• Respond to a request for a consult and perform treatment “on a timely basis.” (The consultant did not see or treat Jeck until nine hours a er he arrived at the hospital.)

• Employ a “degree of skill and diligence” in Jeck’s treatment expected of other “reasonably prudent hospitals, practice groups, and/or physicians in the same eld of health care services.”

The plainti is suing the defendants on two counts of medical negligence and seeking $10 million under the Wrongful Death Act, as well as an additional $5 million for “severe pain, su ering, mental and emotional anguish, and other injuries and damages before [Jeck’s] untimely, painful and preventable death, which was caused by the defendants’ negligent conduct.”

Fauquier Hospital and Gastroenterology Associates did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Advanced Digestive Care LLC could not be reached for comment.

No court dates have been set in the lawsuit.

The timeline of events outlined in the complaint states:

NOV. 29, 2021

Jeck, 28, woke up around midnight and began “projectile vomiting with severe retching and some blood” until he passed out on his bathroom oor. When he awoke, Jeck sought assistance from his mother, Rhonda G. Jeck, who called emergency services.

5 a.m.: Jeck arrived at Fauquier Hospital’s emergency department and was seen 10 minutes later by emergency medicine physician Dr. Gregory Wagner who "put a call out to Gastroenterology to request an opinion." Wagner diagnosed Jeck with upper gastrointestinal bleeding and syncope (loss of consciousness).

7:30 a.m.: Dr. Joshua Pathman evaluated Jeck, replaced Wagner who was the overnight attending physician, and attempted to contact O’Connell, the gastroenterology specialist, again. In the complaint, the plainti claims Pathman and hospital sta attempted to contact O’Connell via page, phone call and text message.

12:45 p.m.: Jeck’s condition changed, and he began sweating heavily, showing fatigue, exhibiting abnormally low blood pressure, having bloody bowel movements and vomiting blood.

1 p.m.: Pathman spoke to O’Connell via telephone, who was “o -campus at another hospital.”

1:40 p.m.: O’Connell arrived at Fauquier Hospital and examined Jeck. O’Connell diagnosed Jeck with “acute hematemesis … and acute hypotension and tachycardia with ongoing blood loss.” He was sedated and intubated.

2 p.m.: Nine hours a er admitting Jeck, an endoscopy – a procedure that involves inserting a thin, exible tube with a camera down someone’s throat to examine their esophagus and small intestine – was performed. O’Connell failed to nd the source of the bleeding due to the “persistent pooling of blood.”

4:10 p.m.: Interventional Radiologist Dr. Alexander Kieger performed an embolization procedure where tiny gelatin or beads are used to block blood vessels to stop the bleeding. According to the complaint, Kieger noted the procedure was needed because of “acute life-threatening upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage in the setting hemorrhagic shock” with “copious amounts of blood in the stomach.” Kieger recommended a repeat endoscopy to identify the source of the bleeding.

6:25 p.m.: Jeck was admitted to the ICU, where doctors continued to try and treat Jeck. However, doctors agreed that Jeck needed to be transferred to another hospital with “a higher level of care” and more resources.

Jeck remained in the ICU at Fauquier and received continuous blood transfusion products until late into the night.

NOV. 30

In the early morning, Dr. Andrew Gordon, a general surgeon at Fauquier, noted Jeck’s condition had worsened and was in “poor condition.”

12:30 p.m.: O’Connell evaluated Jeck and noted Jeck was no longer bleeding but had “su ered signi cant organ damage from the events of the previous 24 hours.”

5:31 p.m.: Jeck was airli ed from Fauquier in critical condition and arrived at Inova Fairfax Hospital 17 minutes later.

In the days that followed, Jeck “underwent extensive medical interventions and treatments” for several di erent a ictions caused by hemorrhaging. Jeck remained comatose and su ered brain damage.

DEC. 6

A general surgeon with Inova, Dr. Jennifer Rodriguez, noted Jeck “was bleeding from his eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and blisters on his skin.” She concluded his prognosis was “non-survivable,” and the family elected for comfort measures.

Jeck was pronounced dead on Dec. 6, 2021, at approximately 7:15 a.m. Inova doctors determined the cause of death was because of gastrointestinal bleeding, intestinal ischemia, and DIC, which was con rmed by an autopsy.

A LIFELONG DREAM UNFULFILLED

Jeck grew up in Marshall and spent lots of time in Rappahannock County playing golf with his dad and brother.

He graduated from William Monroe High School in Stanardsville and the New England Culinary Institute, where he was recognized as the most outstanding student in his graduating class, according to his obituary.

Jeck’s family said he was a classically trained chef who had a deep passion for the culinary arts.

Starting out as a waiter, Jeck made his way up the culinary ladder working for ne dining restaurants in Northern Virginia, including Field & Main in Marshall, and South Carolina, where he served under an award-winning chef.

Before he died, Jeck was in talks to purchase Sperryville’s famous Headmaster’s Pub from owner Cli Miller IV. According to the senior Jeck, his son was set to take over the restaurant as its owner and head chef in the nal days of 2021.

“He was really, really excited to be able to serve this community and call this place home,” Caleb Jeck, David Jeck Jr.’s brother, told Rappahannock News. “I just think that it sucks that it didn’t work out, because I think he had nally made it to the point where he wasn’t on the line for 50 hours a week anymore. He wasn’t cooking somebody else’s menu. He nally had his own opportunity.”

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2022-12-01T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-12-01T08:00:00.0000000Z

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