August 1, 2001
Through teary eyes, a broken-hearted John Colombini yesterday eulogized his 6-year-old son, Michael, as a little boy who touched people with his innocent smile. Two days after his son died of injuries suffered in a freak MRI accident, Colombini, 47, stood near the wooden coffin and thanked mourners for helping his family cope with their loss. More than 500 people attended the simple Jewish ceremony at Temple Israel of Northern Westchester in Croton-on-Hudson. It was a moment of solace and reflection for a child who died because of a hospital's gigantic mistake. As little Michael's grief-stricken relatives, friends and teachers said goodbye, state officials continued to investigate the fatal accident at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla. Investigators were interviewing hospital staff to determine how an unsecured oxygen tank came to be in the room where Michael was getting an MRI exam Friday. The MRI's powerful magnet pulled the canister into the machine, where it hit Michael in the head, fracturing his skull. The child, who was being treated for a brain tumor, died of the blow to his head. "Our focus is on the hospital, from a systemic standpoint," said state Health Department spokesman Robert Kenny. President Edward Stolzenberg said on Monday that the hospital accepted full responsibility for the "horrific accident.
" But mourners yesterday focused on how Michael lived, not how he died. "I remember the last day of school, and we all waved goodbye, and he was so full of life, so energetic," said Marjorie Castro, superintendent of the Croton-Harmon School District. Diana Heaton, Michael's kindergarten teacher at the Carrie E. Tompkins Elementary School described the brown-haired boy as "an awesome kid who liked having fun."
"We're all shocked and saddened by this," she said. About 100 staffers at the hospital held their own prayer service to help cope with the tragic accident. During the half-hour service, speakers read from the Bible and led prayers for a "wonderful, promising child.
" In a statement, the Colombini family expressed appreciation for the outpouring of public sympathy. The family is expected to file a medical malpractice suit, but lawyers said yesterday that the family should not expect substantial compensation. Medical malpractice lawyer Charles Rappaport said state law bases damages for wrongful death on the age and earning power of the victim. "You would think that the life of a 6-year-old would have a huge [monetary] value. Unfortunately, it doesn't," Rappaport said. An article in yesterday's Daily News about the death of 6-year-old Michael Colombini incorrectly stated that Westchester Medical Center had lost its accreditation. The hospital was downgraded in March by the Joint Commission on Accreditation for Health Care Organizations to "conditional accreditation.
Through teary eyes, a broken-hearted John Colombini yesterday eulogized his 6-year-old son, Michael, as a little boy who touched people with his innocent smile. Two days after his son died of injuries suffered in a freak MRI accident, Colombini, 47, stood near the wooden coffin and thanked mourners for helping his family cope with their loss. More than 500 people attended the simple Jewish ceremony at Temple Israel of Northern Westchester in Croton-on-Hudson. It was a moment of solace and reflection for a child who died because of a hospital's gigantic mistake. As little Michael's grief-stricken relatives, friends and teachers said goodbye, state officials continued to investigate the fatal accident at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla. Investigators were interviewing hospital staff to determine how an unsecured oxygen tank came to be in the room where Michael was getting an MRI exam Friday. The MRI's powerful magnet pulled the canister into the machine, where it hit Michael in the head, fracturing his skull. The child, who was being treated for a brain tumor, died of the blow to his head. "Our focus is on the hospital, from a systemic standpoint," said state Health Department spokesman Robert Kenny. President Edward Stolzenberg said on Monday that the hospital accepted full responsibility for the "horrific accident.
" But mourners yesterday focused on how Michael lived, not how he died. "I remember the last day of school, and we all waved goodbye, and he was so full of life, so energetic," said Marjorie Castro, superintendent of the Croton-Harmon School District. Diana Heaton, Michael's kindergarten teacher at the Carrie E. Tompkins Elementary School described the brown-haired boy as "an awesome kid who liked having fun."
"We're all shocked and saddened by this," she said. About 100 staffers at the hospital held their own prayer service to help cope with the tragic accident. During the half-hour service, speakers read from the Bible and led prayers for a "wonderful, promising child.
" In a statement, the Colombini family expressed appreciation for the outpouring of public sympathy. The family is expected to file a medical malpractice suit, but lawyers said yesterday that the family should not expect substantial compensation. Medical malpractice lawyer Charles Rappaport said state law bases damages for wrongful death on the age and earning power of the victim. "You would think that the life of a 6-year-old would have a huge [monetary] value. Unfortunately, it doesn't," Rappaport said. An article in yesterday's Daily News about the death of 6-year-old Michael Colombini incorrectly stated that Westchester Medical Center had lost its accreditation. The hospital was downgraded in March by the Joint Commission on Accreditation for Health Care Organizations to "conditional accreditation.
August 1, 2001
Through teary eyes, a broken-hearted John Colombini yesterday eulogized his 6-year-old son, Michael, as a little boy who touched people with his innocent smile. Two days after his son died of injuries suffered in a freak MRI accident, Colombini, 47, stood near the wooden coffin and thanked mourners for helping his family cope with their loss. More than 500 people attended the simple Jewish ceremony at Temple Israel of Northern Westchester in Croton-on-Hudson. It was a moment of solace and reflection for a child who died because of a hospital's gigantic mistake. As little Michael's grief-stricken relatives, friends and teachers said goodbye, state officials continued to investigate the fatal accident at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla. Investigators were interviewing hospital staff to determine how an unsecured oxygen tank came to be in the room where Michael was getting an MRI exam Friday. The MRI's powerful magnet pulled the canister into the machine, where it hit Michael in the head, fracturing his skull. The child, who was being treated for a brain tumor, died of the blow to his head. "Our focus is on the hospital, from a systemic standpoint," said state Health Department spokesman Robert Kenny. President Edward Stolzenberg said on Monday that the hospital accepted full responsibility for the "horrific accident.
" But mourners yesterday focused on how Michael lived, not how he died. "I remember the last day of school, and we all waved goodbye, and he was so full of life, so energetic," said Marjorie Castro, superintendent of the Croton-Harmon School District. Diana Heaton, Michael's kindergarten teacher at the Carrie E. Tompkins Elementary School described the brown-haired boy as "an awesome kid who liked having fun."
"We're all shocked and saddened by this," she said. About 100 staffers at the hospital held their own prayer service to help cope with the tragic accident. During the half-hour service, speakers read from the Bible and led prayers for a "wonderful, promising child.
" In a statement, the Colombini family expressed appreciation for the outpouring of public sympathy. The family is expected to file a medical malpractice suit, but lawyers said yesterday that the family should not expect substantial compensation. Medical malpractice lawyer Charles Rappaport said state law bases damages for wrongful death on the age and earning power of the victim. "You would think that the life of a 6-year-old would have a huge [monetary] value. Unfortunately, it doesn't," Rappaport said. An article in yesterday's Daily News about the death of 6-year-old Michael Colombini incorrectly stated that Westchester Medical Center had lost its accreditation. The hospital was downgraded in March by the Joint Commission on Accreditation for Health Care Organizations to "conditional accreditation.
Through teary eyes, a broken-hearted John Colombini yesterday eulogized his 6-year-old son, Michael, as a little boy who touched people with his innocent smile. Two days after his son died of injuries suffered in a freak MRI accident, Colombini, 47, stood near the wooden coffin and thanked mourners for helping his family cope with their loss. More than 500 people attended the simple Jewish ceremony at Temple Israel of Northern Westchester in Croton-on-Hudson. It was a moment of solace and reflection for a child who died because of a hospital's gigantic mistake. As little Michael's grief-stricken relatives, friends and teachers said goodbye, state officials continued to investigate the fatal accident at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla. Investigators were interviewing hospital staff to determine how an unsecured oxygen tank came to be in the room where Michael was getting an MRI exam Friday. The MRI's powerful magnet pulled the canister into the machine, where it hit Michael in the head, fracturing his skull. The child, who was being treated for a brain tumor, died of the blow to his head. "Our focus is on the hospital, from a systemic standpoint," said state Health Department spokesman Robert Kenny. President Edward Stolzenberg said on Monday that the hospital accepted full responsibility for the "horrific accident.
" But mourners yesterday focused on how Michael lived, not how he died. "I remember the last day of school, and we all waved goodbye, and he was so full of life, so energetic," said Marjorie Castro, superintendent of the Croton-Harmon School District. Diana Heaton, Michael's kindergarten teacher at the Carrie E. Tompkins Elementary School described the brown-haired boy as "an awesome kid who liked having fun."
"We're all shocked and saddened by this," she said. About 100 staffers at the hospital held their own prayer service to help cope with the tragic accident. During the half-hour service, speakers read from the Bible and led prayers for a "wonderful, promising child.
" In a statement, the Colombini family expressed appreciation for the outpouring of public sympathy. The family is expected to file a medical malpractice suit, but lawyers said yesterday that the family should not expect substantial compensation. Medical malpractice lawyer Charles Rappaport said state law bases damages for wrongful death on the age and earning power of the victim. "You would think that the life of a 6-year-old would have a huge [monetary] value. Unfortunately, it doesn't," Rappaport said. An article in yesterday's Daily News about the death of 6-year-old Michael Colombini incorrectly stated that Westchester Medical Center had lost its accreditation. The hospital was downgraded in March by the Joint Commission on Accreditation for Health Care Organizations to "conditional accreditation.
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