BUCHAREST, ROMANIA (AP) - Romania’s health ministry says two doctors were negligent in their treatment of American basketball player Chauncey Hardy after he suffered fatal injuries.
Hardy died Sunday after he was punched in a bar in the southern Romanian city of Giurgiu, where he played for a Romanian club. The 23-year-old sustained severe head injuries and died after surgery in a Bucharest hospital.
Health ministry official Raed Arafat says Hardy should have been transferred to Bucharest immediately, instead of 4 1/2 hours after he arrived in a coma at the Giurgiu hospital.
Arafat said the Giurgiu hospital lacked the equipment needed to determine whether Hardy had a serious skull injury _ which meant the doctors on duty should have immediately requested his transfer to Bucharest.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) _ Romania’s basketball federation says the body of American player Chauncey Hardy, who was fatally beaten in a bar, will be repatriated.
Hardy died Sunday after he was punched in a bar in the southern Romanian city of Giurgiu. He sustained severe head injuries and died after undergoing surgery in a Bucharest hospital.
The 23-year-old, who played at Sacred Heart in Connecticut from 2006-2010, came to Romania to play for CSS Giurgiu in August.
The federation said Wednesday the repatriation is being arranged by the U.S. Embassy and Hardy’s family. Coach Theo Matthew Evans and colleague Justin Neal Eller will accompany the body to the U.S.
Prosecutors say Hardy was punched in the face by the boyfriend of a woman he was with. A suspect, Ionut Tanasoaia, was arrested Monday and will be in custody for 29 days while he awaits trial.
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