The patient actually had 7 fractures in his foot but:

The doctor just accused his patient of wanting drugs and deemed the injury a sprain without even looking.

Source: Doctor Who Refused to Look at Severely Broken Foot Dragged

The question is – why is an online spat now the source of national news coverage?

At best, this is a hyper local story. Instead, an online (and justified) rant is turned into national news. The news reporter never contacted any of the participants but recites what each person posted online. This is not journalism, and its barely even gossip.