By Leslie Albrecht
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UPPER WEST SIDE — Friends of an 82-year-old designer who died after being mugged in broad daylight want an investigation into his treatment at Mount Sinai Hospital.
Gerald Abramovitz, a desiger whose work is featured in the Museum of Modern Art's permanent collection, died June 16, three weeks after a mugger allegedly knocked him to the ground in the entryway of a West 89th Street brownstone.
The exact cause of his death has not been officially determined pending his autopsy results, which are expected this week, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner's office said.
Friends and family believe Abramovitz died as a direct result of the May 25 mugging, and they claim Mount Sinai didn't give the aging artist a CT scan when he was treated in the emergency room immediately following the attack.
Mount Sinai's spokeswoman said last week she couldn't comment on Abramovitz's treatment because of privacy laws.
Gene Koretz, Abramovitz's longtime friend, said he'll ask the hospital for a formal investigation into his treatment and death. "We still believe Mount Sinai is a great New York institution, but they can make mistakes," Koretz said.
Koretz, who was Abramovitz's emergency contact and health proxy, says doctors gave Abramovitz a battery of tests, but no CT scan, then released him from the hospital.
Abramovitz consented to his release after receiving stitches for wounds sustained during the attack, Koretz said.
Two days later, Abramovitz became weak and dizzy and returned to Mount Sinai. A CT scan administered then revealed that Abramovitz was suffering from a brain hemorrhage, Koretz said. Surgery to stop the bleeding was not successful.
Abramovitz remained in the hospital in an incapacitated state for several weeks, and was eventually taken off a respirator before his death June 16.
Koretz said he's not interested in suing Mount Sinai, but he wants answers about what happened in the emergency room on May 25.
"We don't have the appetite for suing," said Koretz, 80. "It's been a very rocky and disheartening few weeks. I'm not interested in damages or anything like that. Gerald's gone. That's the fact."
Koretz and other friends of Abramovitz are offering $5,000 of their own money as a reward for information that leads to the arrest of Abramovitz's attacker.
A police source said Monday there were no new leads in the case. The mugging happened about 5:20 p.m. on May 25, on West 89th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue.
Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-8477.
Texts can also be sent to CRIMES (274637), then TIP577 or by logging on to the Crime Stoppers website. All calls are strictly confidential.
