Preparing and litigating a successful medical malpractice claim requires careful analysis of a client’s medical condition and appropriate medical treatment, as well as the mistakes that were made by healthcare providers. Developing the evidence is critical, as is the ability to convincingly explain medical concepts, and the complicated sequence of events leading to injury in a way that will be persuasive to a jury. The litigation team at Leeseberg Tuttle Personal Injury Attorneys has a history of pursuing successful medical malpractice claims on behalf of those harmed by substandard medical care. The three cases below are some of the examples of successful claims our firm has helped develop on behalf of clients.
A Common Infection in a 9-year-old Leads to Catastrophe
A family brought their 9-year-old son to his pediatrician multiple times because of headaches and ear pain, and the doctor failed to diagnose his ear infection. Eventually, the infection spread to his brain, paralyzing the boy and leaving him in a locked-in state. He can only communicate using assistive technology through eye movement and will live that way for the rest of his life. After settlements with the doctor’s office and hospital where he was treated for the infection, a jury awarded a verdict of $44.5 million against the testing facility that lost a lab result that would have led to an earlier diagnosis and successful treatment.
An Undiagnosed Spinal Cord Injury
A fall during a fishing outing left someone in enough pain to seek out a medical evaluation at the local community hospital. Although the facility provided appropriate testing, the radiologist did not identify and diagnose the fracture in the patient’s neck. The facility discharged the patient who returned home, only to wake in the morning without the ability to use his arms or legs. The undiagnosed injury led to quadriplegia and eventually to a fatal infection. A jury awarded over $880,000 to the gentleman’s estate because of the diagnostic failure.
Large out-of-court settlements
Numerous patients in a Franklin County Hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU) died due to excessive pain medication ordered by the physician. The firm secured $22.7 million in settlements on behalf of the 17 families affected. Other large settlements include $3.9 million for a woman who suffered a delayed diagnosis of cervical cancer, $2.35 million for a woman with an infection that left her paralyzed, and $1.5 million for a wrongful death claim related to a high-risk patient who underwent a hip replacement surgery and then died due to complications the surgeon should have managed with better post-operative care and medication. Each of these cases involved a highly complex and tragic situation that had permanent consequences for the patient and their entire family. Holding medical providers accountable for their mistakes by filing a medical malpractice claim can compensate affected families and protect others from experiencing the same tragedy in the future.