Bodily Injury Blog » Medical Malpractice

Wrongful Death Suit Filed Against VA Doctors

Edward Bills — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 21:13:37 +0000

A Utah woman has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs over the death of her husband from an overdose of medications prescribed by VA doctors. The man, who was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and a brain injury he sustained in Iraq, was taking a myriad of drugs. The lawsuit claims his doctors should have monitored his prescriptions more closely and that they failed in their duty to “provide reasonable, necessary, appropriate and timely medical care and treatment.”

Jury Rules in Favor of Doctor in Amputation Lawsuit

Edward Bills — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 13:44:18 +0000

A Kentucky jury has ruled in favor of a local doctor in a lawsuit filed by a truck driver whose penis was amputated during what should have been a simple circumcision procedure. During the procedure, the doctor found a cancerous tumor on the man’s genitalia and determined it had to be removed. The suit claimed the doctor did not exercise proper care, but the jury disagreed. Lawyers for the plaintiff said the verdict will be appealed.

Some Experts Question FDA Medical Device Review Process over the DePuy Hip Recall

Edward Bills — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 12:32:57 +0000

A recently released study concludes that the FDA should “abandon” its present system for approving U.S. medical devices such as the because it fails to ensure patient safety.

Currently the FDA employs a streamlined approach to approve medical device applications such as those for the beleaguered DePuy knee and hip parts – a process that takes 10 months as opposed to several years.

However, this quick process is unreliable. As the result of a faulty or inadequate screening process, many patients with medical devices have found themselves harmed by medical devices, implanted with recalled items that require additional, painful and sometimes dangerous surgeries.

One patient who required revision surgery to fix a recalled DePuy Hip part states, “You put your faith in the doctor and the companies that make these products because they’re the experts…It’s just beyond me to think that things can get approved that don’t really work” reports ABC News.

Unfortunately, faulty medical devices are placed in patients at an alarming rate. A study from the National Research Center for Women and families found that more than 437 million devices were recalled in 2010 due to fears that they might kill and permanently harm patients.

Woman Awarded $500,000 in Malpractice Suit

Edward Bills — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 17:04:58 +0000

A Pennsylvania jury has awarded $500,000 to a Middleton, Penn., woman after a nurse at Lower Bucks Hospital left a sponge in her abdomen during a cesarean-section delivery. The plaintiff experienced abdominal pain after her procedure, which was initially thought to be simply post-procedure discomfort. It was not until two months after the surgery, the suit claims, that the sponge was discovered when the woman was forced back into the hospital with severe stomach pain.

Botched Circumcision Suit Settled in California

Edward Bills — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 00:58:53 +0000

Medical device manufacturer Miltex Inc. will pay $4.6 million to a California family for its involvement in a botched circumcision in 2003. The lawsuit claimed the clamp made by Miltex used in the procedure was defective and caused the accident. The procedure on the week-old baby was preformed at a Los Angeles clinic by a doctor without malpractice insurance.

NFL Player Awarded $5.4 Million for Tainted Drug

Edward Bills — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 13:27:39 +0000

A St. Louis Rams player has been awarded $5.4 million in a lawsuit he filed against a nutritional supplement company he claimed sold him tainted supplements that resulted in his suspension from the NFL. The plaintiff was suspended from four games in 2009 after testing positive for a banned substance that was found in the supplements he was taking. “So many of the athletes are claiming that they haven’t cheated and the supplements have been tainted. And it’s true,” said the player’s lawyer.

Suit Filed Against Iowa Hospital over Injured Baby

Edward Bills — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 13:16:55 +0000

An Iowa family has filed a lawsuit against Mercy Medical Center and two local doctors for failing to notice the signs of abuse in their adopted son. The boy was brought into the hospital in July 2009 by his biological parents with “a bleeding brain and at least 15 old and new rib fractures” caused by abuse. Just three weeks earlier, the boy was in the same hospital with a broken arm, and the suit alleges doctors declined to look for any additional injuries or probe into the true cause of the injury. The brain bleed left the child severely brain damaged.

$58.6 Million Awarded in Malpractice Suit

Edward Bills — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 14:41:27 +0000

A Connecticut jury has awarded a local couple $58.6 million in a medical malpractice lawsuit, a record for a single incident of medical malpractice in the state of Connecticut. The lawsuit accused Dr. Richard Viscarello and his practice, Maternal-Fetal Care PC, of waiting too long to perform a cesarean section during the wife’s 2003 labor, which caused the child to be born with permanent brain damage. The boy, now eight-years-old, suffers from cerebral palsy and is unable to eat, walk or talk.

$7 Million Malpractice Settlement Approved

Edward Bills — Wed, 18 May 2011 13:31:55 +0000

A $7 million settlement in a malpractice suit between four medical professionals at a Worcester, Mass., hospital and the mother of a disabled child has been approved. The suit alleged doctors and officials at the hospital failed to tell the mother of tests that could have been done to test her child for genetic disorders before she was born. The tests could have prompted the plaintiff to have an abortion “rather than carry her now-disabled child to term,” her lawyer told the Boston Globe.

Botox Maker Ordered to Pay $212 Million in Lawsuit

Edward Bills — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 22:19:23 +0000

A Virginia jury awarded $212 million to a local man in a lawsuit against Allergan Inc., a maker of Botox. The lawsuit claimed after the man was injected with Botox in 2007 to treat hand tremors, he fell ill and eventually suffered severe brain damage. The suit claimed the company failed to warn consumers about the risks of off-label use of the product.