Lubbock County Commissioners on Monday appointed the fourth medical examiner in less than two years, hours after the previous one resigned.
“You know what I’m fixing to do? I’m fixing to go to work,” said Dr. Charles Addington at a Tuesday news conference.
Addington, the former mayor of Wolfforth and a local physician with more than 24 years of experience, said he will continue to practice medicine as he serves as administrative pathologist. That means overseeing cases and deciding what needs to happen next.
“We look at what our investigators do and we put that puzzle together," he explained. "And when we get it together, we say OK this makes sense and can go on.”
When needed, autopsies will be done in Tarrant County, continuing a partnership started last year.
Addington said he was asked over the weekend if he would fill the position. He described getting the new job title as a whirlwind, but said the process was professional.
“When you have the opportunity to serve the community and the county that you’ve lived in your whole life, and somebody calls and says we need help. That’s when you step up and make a difference,” Addington said.
Dr. John Lang served as medical examiner for about nine months. He took over the office after the county ended its contract with an independent pathology lab. Lang inherited a lengthy backlog and public distrust of the department.
Lang submitted his official resignation to county commissioners Monday morning. In his letter, he wrote that he accomplished his initial goals and it was time to move on. Also on Monday, commissioners approved a settlement agreement with an employee of the medical examiner’s office. Details of that agreement are not yet public.
Bambi Trevino, office manager for the medical examiner, said the backlog of over 200 death investigation reports was caught up earlier this year. She said she also learned of Lang's resignation on Monday, but she looks forward to working with Addington.
“The office has been running smoothly, other than a few changes here and there. We’ve been dealing with a lot," Trevino said. "We’re happy that Dr. Addington is here. We’ve already seen him step in. I caught him when he got here and got him to signing because we needed someone to get to it.”
And Addington looks forward to leaving past problems behind.
“We’re going to start fresh from the 13th of July and we’re going to move forward from there,” the new medical examiner added.
