Parents Awarded $15 Million For Medical Mistakes Resulting In Son’s Death

A Suffolk County jury has found two doctors at Children’s Hospital Boston caused the death of a 3-year-old boy and must pay his parents $15 million, reports the Boston Globe. This is an unusual amount for a medical malpractice case involving death — settlements this large are more usual for severely injured patients requiring years of expensive treatment.

The Pennsylvania boy was born with Tetralogy of Fallot, a complex but treatable birth defect which affects the flow of blood through the heart. After several surgeries to try to widen the arteries carrying blood to his heart, the young boy was referred to another doctor who performed a catheterization. Within hours of this surgery the boy suffered a seizure found to be caused by contrast dye used in the surgery leaking into his brain.

During an MRI a tiny piece of metal — probably from a medical instrument — was found to be lodged in his brain. When released from the hospital, the boy was unable to walk or speak.

He died in December 2004.

Our attorneys at Munley, Munley, & Cartwright, P.C. are experienced in medical malpractice lawsuits and will evaluate your case thoroughly and explore all potential sources of recovery – we fight to protect the rights of patients. If you or a loved one has been harmed by medical negligence, you may have a medical malpractice claim. Contact us now at 1-800-318-LAW1 or submit an online free Medical Malpractice Claim Evaluation.

Medical Malpractice Verdict

Gauze Left In Patient – Medical Malpractice Filed

Staten Island University Hospital and two doctors have been named in a medical malpractice lawsuit filed by a woman who alleges a piece of gauze was left inside when she underwent liver surgery in 2000, reports Staten Island Real-Time News.

Two weeks after the original surgery, the now 59 year old woman, was readmitted to the hospital for an intra-abdominal abscess. During this second surgical procedure, a piece of gauze was found under the connective tissue which runs throughout the body. The suit alleges this “gauze foreign body” caused the abscess which led to a second surgery.

Our attorneys at Munley, Munley, & Cartwright, P.C. are experienced in medical malpractice lawsuits and will evaluate your case thoroughly and explore all potential sources of recovery – we fight to protect the rights of patients. If you or a loved one has been harmed by medical negligence, you may have a medical malpractice claim. Contact us now at 1-800-318-LAW1 or submit an online free Medical Malpractice Claim Evaluation.

Medical Malpractice Lawsuit

Father Sues Harvard College In Son’s Death

Bloomberg reports a father of a Harvard College student has sued the college and fellows over his son’s suicide in 2007. Harvard College is the undergraduate school of Harvard University.

The wrongful death lawsuit brought on behalf of the student’s estate claims Harvard’s health service prescribed drugs known to increase suicide risk and other side effects.

At the time of his death, the student was taking Accutane for cystic acne, Adderall for attention deficit hyperactive disorder (diagnosed by the school nurse) and Prozac for an anxiety disorder (also diagnosed by the nurse) and Wellbutrin, which contains warnings about suicide for patients under age 25. The nurse allegedly signed the prescriptions for the drugs as a doctor.

Roche Laboratories stated in June it would pull Accutane off the U.S. market because of the reports of depression and suicide in patients. A 2004 FDA report suggested antidepressants such as Prozac and Wellbutrin might double the suicidal thoughts and actions in children and teens.

The student was valedictorian of his high school class.

The Scranton, Pennsylvania attorneys of Munley, Munley & Cartwright have years of experience representing the survivors of wrongful death victims. For a free consultation of your legal claim throughout the state of Pennsylvania, please submit an online form or call us at: 1-800-318-LAW1.

Wrongful Death Lawsuit

$89 Million Awarded In Drunk Driving Death

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports a jury has awarded $89 million to the family of a 28 year-old man killed in 2008 as a result of a drunk driver.

Dennis Riegel Jr. was killed and his pregnant fiancée was seriously injured as they returned from a shopping trip. She was 13 weeks pregnant at the time of the accident and has since given birth to a daughter.

The 20-year-old driver who hit Riegel’s car had a blood alcohol level more than two times the legal limit and was driving on a hardship license after an earlier DWI.

Riegel’s fiancée and daughter will probably not be able to recover the award.

The attorneys at Munley, Munley, & Cartwright law firm have years of experience in automobile accident claims. If you have been injured or lost a loved one as a result of a motor vehicle accident, call our office today at 1-800-318-LAW1 for a free assessment of your case or use our Free Online Accident Case Evaluation.

Automobile Death

Parents of 10-Year-Old Awarded $22.3 Million In Medical Negligence Lawsuit

The Chicago Sun-Times reports a Cook County jury has awarded the parents of a 10-year-old boy $22.3 million in a medical negligence case that resulted in the loss of the boy’s leg shortly after his birth.

The young boy was born in May 1999 with a congenital heart defect which required a shunt procedure performed at Advocate Christ Medical Center/Hope Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Two weeks after being sent home, the parents returned the infant to the emergency room.

The lawsuit alleged his left leg had to be amputated due to mistakes made in the operating room. The child also suffers from cognitive deficiencies and developmental delays alleged to be caused by the delayed treatment and cardiac catheterization.

The jury found the hospital and staff were negligent in failing to diagnose the infant’s shunt problems in time and subjecting him to an unnecessary catheterization.

Our attorneys at Munley, Munley, & Cartwright are experienced in medical malpractice lawsuits and will fight to protect your rights as a patient. If you or a loved one has been harmed by medical negligence, you may have a medical malpractice claim. Contact us now at 1-800-318-LAW1 or submit an online free Medical Malpractice Claim Evaluation.