She went in for a broken ankle and died. Jury finds Miami doctors liable for millions.

A Miami widower deserves $30 million in damages from doctors after his wife suffered a broken ankle, then died after she was never given a critical lifesaving medication.

Jurors ruled in favor of the husband of 71-year-old Maria Elena Fernandez, who died of complications from blood clots while recovering from her injury in February 2016.

Her husband, Alfredo Victor Fernandez, filed a wrongful death lawsuit and went to trial last week against Dr. Charles Jordan and Baptist Health Medical Group Orthopedics, a doctors group affiliated with Baptist Hospital.

The jurors lay most of the blame on another doctor, Francisco Cruz, who cared for her at a rehab center where she later fell mortally ill. But they found that Dr. Jordan shouldered 5 percent of the blame, which would put him and the medical group on the hook for $1.5 million.

But exactly how much Alfredo Fernandez will get from the verdict is unclear — his lawyers will be asking a judge to increase the amount Jordan must pay.

Cruz, meanwhile, was not on trial and has already settled the lawsuit in his individual capacity as a doctor; the settlement amount is confidential. However, he is still facing a lawsuit for his role as part of St. Anne’s rehab center.

At trial, jurors heard that Maria Elena Fernandez broke her ankle in January 2016. She was admitted to Kendall’s Baptist Hospital, where she was given a medication called heparin, a blood thinner that prevents the formation of blood clots — elderly people are especially prone to them.

Days later, she was transferred to St. Anne’s, a medical rehabilitation center. Even though she was prescribed the blood thinner at Baptist, Jordan never issued the order that she be given the medication at the rehab center, according to lawyer Gary Friedman.

She later returned to Baptist for a checkup with Jordan. “He did nothing to inquire or correct the situation, “ Friedman said. “He simply sends her back to the rehab center.”

Jurors heard that blood clots formed in Fernandez’s body, and she soon fell ill from pneumonia. Fernandez died on Feb. 17 of pulmonary embolus, caused by the clots blocking the flow of blood to her lungs.

Alfredo Fernandez also sued St. Anne’s, and the case is pending an arbitration hearing. A lawyer for Baptist Health Medical Group Orthopedics did not return a request for comment on Tuesday.

This story was originally published March 11, 2020 at 10:41 AM.