New York City probing woman's death after liposuction surgery
theGRIO REPORT - Simone Jones, 45, was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital after she went into cardiac arrest during a liposuction procedure.
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Simone Jones, 45, was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital after she went into cardiac arrest during a liposuction procedure.
According to her daughter, Shantay Jones, her mother had saved up $11,000 from her earnings as a mental health aide to pay for a tummy tuck, buttocks lift and liposuction on her arms, legs and back, reports the New York Daily News.
“She was very attractive and looked young for her age and she wanted the whole package,” Shantay said. “She took pride in her appearance. She was very excited about getting the work done and showing off the results.”
“For her age, she always made heads turn,” she added.
Jones went for the procedure at Lexington Plastic Surgeons in Manhattan. Shantay said doctors told her that the procedure was “98% done” when her mother’s heart rate dropped, and the doctor, Dr. Alan Bienstock, called her to tell her to get to the hospital.
“He (Bienstock) said it could have been a blood clot, it could have been this or that,” she said. “They never gave me a straight answer.”
Bienstock called the Jones home the next day to offer condolences and allegedly said he would look into giving the $11,000 back after Shantay suggested a refund. He did not get back to the family.
In the meantime, the family lawyer, Scott Rynecki, sent a letter to the state’s Department of Health demanding a probe. “Ms. Jones, an otherwise healthy woman went in for an ambulatory procedure and apparently her vital signs were not being properly monitored so as to allow this tragedy to occur,” Rynecki said.
The family will continue to seek justice for the mother of four.
“I want answers,” Shantay said. “We are going to fight for her because she would have fought for us. My mother was a woman of class, a trendsetter who was full of positive energy.”
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