Brooklyn Grandma, Accused of K2 Overdose, Actually Died of Meningitis

• Pictured: Grisel Soto, the victim, and Jorge Matos, her husband. Photo courtesy of Sanford Rubenstein and Jorge Matos

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN, NY — A newly released autopsy report shows staffers at Coney Island Hospital (CIH) were responsible for the untimely February death of 47-year-old Brooklyn grandmother Grisel Soto, a former resident of Sea Gate, her attorney argued Wednesday.

"Clearly medical malpractice caused the death of Grisel Soto," said Sanford Rubenstein, who is suing the hospital for $50 million on behalf of Soto and her husband, Jorge Matos.

"This is a tragic death that never should have happened," Rubenstein said.

Attorney Sanford Rubenstein speaks at a Wednesday press conference. Jorge Matos stands at right. Photo by John V. Santore

Soto died at the hospital on Feb. 1, one day after Matos brought her in.

According to Matos, his wife had been suffering from a debilitating infection when, as the Daily News reported, "she was rushed to the hospital screaming, holding her head, and unable to speak."

Matos said the hospital nurse who initially evaluated her claimed Soto was experiencing a reaction to synthetic marijuana.

On Tuesday, the results of a Feb. 2 autopsy performed by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner were released. The autopsy concluded that Soto died from meningitis combined with a "subdural empyema," which is a collection of pus in the brain. Synthetic marijuana was not found in Soto's system.

Describing the the entire experience as a "nightmare," Matos said Wednesday that when he told hospital staffers about his wife's infection, "they didn't care."

Fighting back tears after viewing pictures of Soto, Matos remembers hospital staffers telling him his wife was "going psycho because she's been smoking."

His wife was restrained and tranquilized by hospital staffers, Matos told reporters in February. Hours later, he said, Soto suffered the first of five heart attacks. It was only then that she was seen by a doctor. Soto died the next day.

Matos dismissed the idea Wednesday that the restraints and sedation were justified by his wife's behavior in the hospital.

"She was afraid," he said. "She couldn't speak. For the past day she was holding on to me."

In the weeks after Soto's death, a total of seven executives left CIH, as reported by the New York Post— including its executive director.

On Wednesday, Rubenstein said he didn't know if the three hospital staffers who allegedly saw Soto before her death — a nurse, a physician's assistant and a doctor — were still employed at CIH.

A spokesperson for NYC Health + Hospitals, the city agency that runs CIH, wouldn't comment, citing the ongoing litigation against the hospital and patient privacy laws.

“It’s a new day with new leadership at Coney Island Hospital," the spokesperson said in a statement. "We are committed to patient safety and providing the best possible care and experience for every patient and their family.”

But Rubenstein said the city's hospital system requires a broader examination.

In 2011, New York City paid out $135 million due to medical malpractice suits against public hospitals, according to the Daily News.

"I don't think it's an isolated incident," Rubenstein said, referring to Soto's death. "At the highest levels, a determination has to be made of how to fix the problem in city hospitals. People are dying who shouldn't be dying."