Jury in medical malpractice case awards $3.7 million
Many Pennsylvania residents seek the care of medical experts every day. Whether seeking advice or treatments, all individuals have one primary goal — to be healed. In most cases, this is accomplished, but, when negligence occurs on the part of the medical professional or facility, the patient’s health may be severely compromised, resulting in injury or death. When this occurs, the patient or his or her next of kin may seek to file a medical malpractice suit.
A recent out-of-state medical malpractice case resulted in one of the largest medical malpractice awards for that county — $3.7 million. The lawsuit was brought on by the wife of a deceased husband against a urologist. The man died on Dec. 16, 2009.
The suit alleged that the man had undergone a laser treatment for his enlarged prostate. Around a month later, after finding blood in his urine, he was instructed by the urologist to go to an emergency room at a local medical center. Two days after being admitted, the man was being moved in order to go into surgery. It was then that he apparently suffered a massive pulmonary embolism, which resulted in his death. The suit alleged that the urologist did not consider the medical center’s recommendation that the man was at high risk for a blood clot and did not prescribe any preventative actions.
If a Pennsylvania resident suffers an injury or, worse, death, due to a medical professional’s negligence, the victim or his or her immediate family members have the legal right to pursue a medical malpractice lawsuit against the negligent party or parties. When successfully navigated, a claim of this nature may result in a monetary award to compensate the victim for damages sustained, including medical bills, lost pay, and pain and suffering. A victim typically begins this process by contacting an experienced personal injury attorney in order to assess the validity of his or her claim.
Source: bnd.com, “Jefferson County jury awards $3.7 million in medical-malpractice case“, Beth Hundsdorfer, Oct. 2, 2015
