Posted on August 15th, 2011
A Montgomery County jury has recently awarded a man $495,000 in a medical malpractice case that claimed that his doctor was negligent in treating a missing rotator cuff during his surgery, even though the cuff was previously diagnosed.
The incident occurred in February 2004 when the man fell four and a half feet from a ladder. After an MRI, it was determined that the man’s rotator cuff was torn. When he went in for surgery in March of that year, the doctor stated that he could not find the tear and instead found a “large defect in the cartilage comprising the vast majority of the humeral head.”
After the surgery, the man was told that he would need a joint replacement. In June of that year, another doctor diagnosed the man with a large rotator cuff tear.
The man said that the doctor’s negligence and deviance from standard care caused him back and shoulder pain. The jury awarded the man $480,000 in non-economic damages and also $15,000 to the man’s wife for loss of consortium.
If you or a loved one has been injured after being the victim in a medical negligence case, you need experienced representation on your side at this time. Contact the Pennsylvania medical malpractice lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C., by calling 610-667-7511.
Posted on January 7th, 2011
This week, a Florida woman was awarded $23 million in a lawsuit filed against the University of Florida’s Shands Teaching Hospital. Then 35-year old Lanette Gervato went into the hospital in 2006 for surgery on a non-bleeding aneurysm in her brain.
During the surgery, doctors perforated an artery in her brain. In addition, after the surgery Gervato showed signs of post-surgical stroke. Doctors were slow to notice the symptoms and by the time they made the delayed diagnosis Gervato’s brain had filled with blood. As a result, Gervato suffered irreversable brain damage.
Gervato is paralyzed on one side of her body, has impaired vision and a variety of other medical complications. Since the surgery, she has been to the hospital 10 times for infections.
Posted on December 2nd, 2010
Last month, the Department of Health & Human Services released a report that stated 1 in every 7 hospitalized Medicare patients is the victim of a treatment mistake during their stay. Researches estimate that these mistakes result in 15,000 fatalities a month or 180,000 a year.
The most common reasons treatment mistakes occurred in Medicare patients were related to bed sores, urinary tract infections from catheters, bleeding after surgery and incorrect medications. Researchers and medical experts recommend that patients always bring somebody with them to the hospital, ask questions and be cautious about catheters and know the medications you are taking.
“While hospitals have made great strides in improving patient care, this report highlights that there is more we can do,” said President and CEO of the American Hospital Association Rich Umbdenstock. The AMA represents around 5,000 hospitals across the country.
To discuss filing a medical malpractice lawsuit with an experience personal injury attorney, contact the Pennsylvania injury lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 1-800-876-5299 today.
Posted on October 11th, 2010
In 2003, there were 700 medical malpractice claims receiving a total of $378 million in payouts in the state of Pennsylvania. This year, there have been 329 claims filed and $146 million in payouts. Last Tuesday, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell announced the 61 percent drop in medical malpractice.
Furthermore, he stated, “The number of catastrophic medical malpractice cases being filed for more than half a million dollars in damages has nearly been cut in half in the past eight years”.
He also noted that this year 38,000 doctors have purchased medical malpractice insurance coverage compared to the 32,000 in 2003.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of medical malpractice, contact the Pennsylvania medical malpractice lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 800-876-LAWYER to learn more about your rights.
Posted on September 13th, 2010
A Pennsylvania woman is suing Forbes Regional Hospital in Philadelphia for hospital negligence after staff at the hospital swapped her syringe with a patient’s used syringe. Kimberlee Blocker of Turtle Creek filed the lawsuit last month and did not specify an amount of damages.
Blocker went to Forbes for a surgery and afterwards doctors told her that the syringe they had used to administer the injection of a medication had been previously used on another patient. Furthermore, doctors told Blocker that she needed to have several tests done in order to determine if she had contracted HIV or any other blood-borne diseases from the swapped syringe.
For six months, Blocker went in for several tests and later found out that the results were all negative. Blocker alleges that the hospital was negligent in their mistake and it caused her and her family to suffer emotionally and financially.
If you or someone you love has suffered due to hospital negligence, contact the Pennsylvania hospital negligence lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 610-667-7511 to learn more about your rights.
