A wrongful death claim has been filed against the city by the husband of Alberto Rangel, alleging that Rangel’s fatal stabbing by a patient at SF General Hospital last year was preventable, and he plans to file a lawsuit.
Alberto Rangel's husband, Stuart Moulder, alleges in the wrongful death claim that city officials failed to protect healthcare workers at the HIV clinic at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital where Rangel was fatally stabbed in December, as KRON4 reports. His attorney says the attack was preventable and argued that officials failed to take adequate steps to address foreseeable safety risks for staff.
As SFist reported in December, a patient at the clinic, 34-year-old Wilfredo Tortolero-Arriechi, is suspected of fatally stabbing 51-year-old UCSF social worker Alberto Rangel. Tortolero-Arriechi allegedly entered the clinic holding a kitchen knife and stabbed Rangel multiple times in the neck and shoulder while Rangel attempted to de-escalate the situation and escort him out. Rangel died two days later.
Clinic employees had reported to administrators about receiving threats from the suspect during the weeks leading up to the stabbing. Employees were then reportedly told not to speak to the media. Per KRON4, an internal audit later confirmed that no changes were implemented prior to the stabbing despite staff members’ concerns.
In January, Tortolero-Arriechi pleaded not guilty in the fatal stabbing, and his attorney claimed he was suffering a mental health crisis at the time.
Following the attack, hospital officials implemented security measures that Moulder's attorney, Nick Casper, says workers had been requesting long before Rangel's death, including a single point of entry and weapons screening, according to KRON4.
“Those changes were things that their own workers were requesting for years,” said Casper. “If those basic security measures had been implemented at the time, Alberto would still be alive today.”
The Department of Public Health has since committed $15 million annually toward security improvements at the hospital.
Union leaders representing healthcare workers say more staffing and workforce investments are also still needed to ensure the safety of workers.
KRON4 reports that the City Attorney's Office said it would review the claim and respond in a timely manner. The city has 45 days to respond before Moulder can move forward with a lawsuit.
Image: Exterior view of Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center building - San Francisco, California, USA - May 26, 2024 (Getty Images)
