DALLAS (July 13, 2011)--A Dallas hospital must pay a $50,000 fine for failing to properly treat a patient who died of a heart attack after waiting 17 hours for care in the emergency room.

Federal health regulators slapped Parkland Memorial Hospital with the maximum fine allowed in the case of Mike Herrera who died in 2008.

The Dallas Morning News reports Wednesday that the hospital violated the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act by failing to provide timely and proper medical treatment for Herrera was suffering extreme abdominal pain.

Parkland president and chief executive Dr. Ron Anderson called Herrera's death a tragedy.

He said the hospital has reached a settlement and taken several steps to improve its quality including reducing emergency room wait times.

Herrera's family could not immediately be reached.