Family Awarded $6.4 Million in Medical Malpractice Claim

The family of a man who died from a heart attack several months after being released from a Philadelphia hospital was awarded $6.4 million in a medical malpractice claim. According to the Pennsylvania Record, the lawsuit states that the 38-year-old man was playing basketball when he started complaining of chest and shoulder pain. An ambulance took him to a local hospital. While the man was at the hospital, two doctors evaluated him. The lawsuit states that medical personnel did not order a cardiac biomarker and a lipid panel examination while the patient was in the hospital and the man had a high white blood cell count at the time of the evaluation.
After further study, the patient was found to have pneumonia and was let go from the hospital later that night. Three months later the man suffered a seizure following a game of basketball and an ambulance responded to the scene. That night, it was found the man had suffered a heart attack and a brain injury. He was released to a long-term care facility where he remained until he died on November 12, 2009. The lawsuit alleged the doctors were negligent in their care for the man, which led to his death.
Deaths Due to Medical Negligence
According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), more than 225,000 people die every year because of medical errors. There are about 12,000 deaths a year because of unnecessary surgery, another 80,000 fatalities because of infections contracted in hospitals and about 7,000 due to medication errors.
Misdiagnosis and Treatment Errors
The effects of a medical error are not always immediate. In this case, it took several months before the consequences of the doctors’ misdiagnosis and treatment errors surfaced. Medical negligence cases typically involve errors in treatment by doctors or other medical professionals. Diagnosing a patient properly is just as important as performing a procedure properly. When a patient’s condition is not treated correctly or in a timely manner, it can definitely lead to complications, which could mean more medical treatment, bills and possibly additional surgeries. In the worst cases, failure to provide the proper treatment for a patient can result in death. Victims of medical malpractice may be entitled to compensation such as lost wages and benefits, past and future pain and suffering, hospitalization costs, physical therapy, etc.
Relief for Victims and Families
If you or a loved one has been injured or if you have lost a loved one as a result of medical negligence, the experienced New York personal injury lawyers at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can provide you with more information about pursuing your legal rights. Our firm has recovered many millions of dollars for victims of medical negligence. Please call our offices 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). We can also help with personal injury cases in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: The Pennsylvania Record