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Dax Cowart Case
By: Ty Kildow and Evan Homison
About Dax (Pre-Accident)
▪ Donald “Dax” Cowart was born in 1947 in Henderson Texas
▪ He played tail back on his high school football team, and
earned a bachelors degree in finance from the University of
Texas
▪ Dax was also a former United States Air Force Pilot
Case History
▪ In 1973, Dax was 25 years old and had just recently got back from
the Air Force
▪ Dax and his father went to go look at some land in Texas that his
father was interested in buying
▪ The land was in a small valley and the Cowarts were unaware that
a gas leak had caused the valley to be full of propane gas
▪ After visiting the land and going back to their parked car, the spark
of the ignition set the gas on the floor of the valley on fire causing
an explosion
Case History
▪ After the explosion, severely burnt, Dax went running and
shouting for help
▪ A man heard him and ran towards him. Dax asked the man for a
gun and when the man asked why, Dax said “Can’t you see, I’m a
dead man. I am going to die anyway”. The man said that he could
not do that.
▪ Both men were severely burnt. His father died on the way to the
hospital, while Dax survived
▪ Dax had 2nd and 3rd degree burns on 67% of his body
Case History
▪ Dax had about a 20% chance to survive but would have a much
compromised quality of life
▪ Dax lost fingers on both hands, his eyes, ears, and about 65% of his
skin was severely burned or lost
Treatment
▪ Dax was forcibly treated for a total of 10 years, some of the
treatments are no longer considered appropriate
▪ He was regular immersed in chlorinated water to help fight
infection
▪ He also had bandages covering his body that needed to be
striped and replaced quite frequently
▪ Dax said it felt like he was being skinned alive daily and would
sometimes lose consciousness
▪ He had to be held down at the beginning of treatments and
doctors only supplied a limited amount of pain killers to him
▪ Dax tried to commit suicided multiple times but was prevented
each time
Treatment
▪ Dax repeatedly refused treatment but his pleas were ignored even
after 2 psychiatrists found him competent to make his own
decisions
▪ His mother became his proxy decision maker while he was in
critical care
▪ She, as well as the doctors, would not allow him to die
After Treatment
▪ Dax was released from the hospital after 232 days, blind and
without functioning hands
▪ He ended up earning a law degree from Texas Tech University in
1986
▪ He also became a millionaire after successfully suing the gas
company which caused his burns
▪ After two earlier marriages, Dax married Samantha Berryessa,
who was also a lawyer, in 2003
▪ Even after living an accomplished life, Dax said, “I still feel that it
was wrong to force me to undergo what I had to to be alive. If the
same thing were to occur tomorrow, and knowing that I could
reach this point, I would still not want to be forced to undergo the
pain and agony that I had to undergo to be alive now. I would want
that choice to lie entirely with myself and no others.”
▪ Dax later died in 2019 at the age of 71
Ethical Issue
▪ Patient Autonomy vs Beneficence
▪ Patient autonomy is acknowledging that patients who have decision
making capacity, have the right to make decisions regarding their care
▪ Beneficence is promoting the patients wellbeing
▪ In this case, honoring Dax’s choice conflicted with prolonging his life
▪ His mother and the health care workers decided to commit to
beneficence which is morally excepted in most circumstances
▪ This was even after two psychiatrists examinations found him to be
competent to make his own decisions
▪ Dax wanted to refuse life-prolonging treatment in favor of patient
autonomy, which would be choosing death
Ethical Issue
▪ Dax goes on to say, “the view that the end result justifies whatever
means necessary to achieve it is absurd”.
▪ He disagrees that the treatment used on him was ethical and okay to
go through with
▪ The means in this case is the excruciating painful treatments and the
end result was the latter part of Dax Cowarts life
▪ He believes that the types of treatments he went through are not
justifiable and were not worth the pain he endured. Also that he
should have had the right to die
Our Views
▪ Patient should have right to refuse treatment
▪ Respect for Autonomy
Works Cited
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/15/obituaries/dax-cowart-
dead.html
https://www.medicalethicsmadeaccessible.com/clients
https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/getting-past-dax/2018-06

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Dax Cowart Case

  • 1. Dax Cowart Case By: Ty Kildow and Evan Homison
  • 2. About Dax (Pre-Accident) ▪ Donald “Dax” Cowart was born in 1947 in Henderson Texas ▪ He played tail back on his high school football team, and earned a bachelors degree in finance from the University of Texas ▪ Dax was also a former United States Air Force Pilot
  • 3. Case History ▪ In 1973, Dax was 25 years old and had just recently got back from the Air Force ▪ Dax and his father went to go look at some land in Texas that his father was interested in buying ▪ The land was in a small valley and the Cowarts were unaware that a gas leak had caused the valley to be full of propane gas ▪ After visiting the land and going back to their parked car, the spark of the ignition set the gas on the floor of the valley on fire causing an explosion
  • 4. Case History ▪ After the explosion, severely burnt, Dax went running and shouting for help ▪ A man heard him and ran towards him. Dax asked the man for a gun and when the man asked why, Dax said “Can’t you see, I’m a dead man. I am going to die anyway”. The man said that he could not do that. ▪ Both men were severely burnt. His father died on the way to the hospital, while Dax survived ▪ Dax had 2nd and 3rd degree burns on 67% of his body
  • 5. Case History ▪ Dax had about a 20% chance to survive but would have a much compromised quality of life ▪ Dax lost fingers on both hands, his eyes, ears, and about 65% of his skin was severely burned or lost
  • 6. Treatment ▪ Dax was forcibly treated for a total of 10 years, some of the treatments are no longer considered appropriate ▪ He was regular immersed in chlorinated water to help fight infection ▪ He also had bandages covering his body that needed to be striped and replaced quite frequently ▪ Dax said it felt like he was being skinned alive daily and would sometimes lose consciousness ▪ He had to be held down at the beginning of treatments and doctors only supplied a limited amount of pain killers to him ▪ Dax tried to commit suicided multiple times but was prevented each time
  • 7. Treatment ▪ Dax repeatedly refused treatment but his pleas were ignored even after 2 psychiatrists found him competent to make his own decisions ▪ His mother became his proxy decision maker while he was in critical care ▪ She, as well as the doctors, would not allow him to die
  • 8. After Treatment ▪ Dax was released from the hospital after 232 days, blind and without functioning hands ▪ He ended up earning a law degree from Texas Tech University in 1986 ▪ He also became a millionaire after successfully suing the gas company which caused his burns ▪ After two earlier marriages, Dax married Samantha Berryessa, who was also a lawyer, in 2003 ▪ Even after living an accomplished life, Dax said, “I still feel that it was wrong to force me to undergo what I had to to be alive. If the same thing were to occur tomorrow, and knowing that I could reach this point, I would still not want to be forced to undergo the pain and agony that I had to undergo to be alive now. I would want that choice to lie entirely with myself and no others.” ▪ Dax later died in 2019 at the age of 71
  • 9. Ethical Issue ▪ Patient Autonomy vs Beneficence ▪ Patient autonomy is acknowledging that patients who have decision making capacity, have the right to make decisions regarding their care ▪ Beneficence is promoting the patients wellbeing ▪ In this case, honoring Dax’s choice conflicted with prolonging his life ▪ His mother and the health care workers decided to commit to beneficence which is morally excepted in most circumstances ▪ This was even after two psychiatrists examinations found him to be competent to make his own decisions ▪ Dax wanted to refuse life-prolonging treatment in favor of patient autonomy, which would be choosing death
  • 10. Ethical Issue ▪ Dax goes on to say, “the view that the end result justifies whatever means necessary to achieve it is absurd”. ▪ He disagrees that the treatment used on him was ethical and okay to go through with ▪ The means in this case is the excruciating painful treatments and the end result was the latter part of Dax Cowarts life ▪ He believes that the types of treatments he went through are not justifiable and were not worth the pain he endured. Also that he should have had the right to die
  • 11. Our Views ▪ Patient should have right to refuse treatment ▪ Respect for Autonomy