Rolando P. Ruiz v. Tenet Hialeah Healthsystem, Inc.

Summary

The court quashed the decision affirming a directed verdict for the anesthesiologist because the lower courts incorrectly treated the primary cause of the patient's death as the only possible proximate cause. A negligent act need only substantially contribute to the injury as part of a natural and continuous sequence, and the record required evaluation under that standard rather than judgment based solely on the fact that other physicians and exsanguination were more directly involved. The court remanded for further proceedings consistent with that proximate-causation standard.