Medical malpractice: woman awarded nearly $14 million
February 27th, 2019Medical malpractice: woman awarded nearly $14 million
On behalf of David Bowling of The Bowling Christiansen Law Firm, A Professional Law Corporation posted in Medical Malpractice on Wednesday, February 27, 2019.
Louisiana residents likely all agree that children should be allowed a healthy, active childhood. Unfortunately, some children miss out on this experience and instead have to endure medical issues they should never have to face at such a young age. A now 22-year-old woman in another state was only 12 years old when she underwent a heart transplant. Following a subsequent surgery several years later, she requires others to care for her. She was recently awarded nearly $14 million in a medical malpractice lawsuit.
In 2007, the woman experienced a heart transplant, and six years later, in 2013, she required another surgery to replace a fractured stent in her heart. She then underwent an elective cardiac catheterization. During the surgery, the doctors found they did not have enough stents on-site, and the surgery became a longer procedure than usual as they looked to another hospital for stents. They eventually used a different kind of stent; however, the surgery lasted four hours.
The extended surgery time put the patient at greater risk of stroke. Following the procedure, although the teen showed obvious signs of stroke, she waited four hours to be tested. At that point, doctors were unable to reverse the damage. As a result, she suffers from impaired cognitive function, speech, memory and mobility and will require constant care for life. In 2015, her parents filed a lawsuit claiming negligence and medical malpractice; they recently won the case, awarded $10.95 million for future economic losses and $3 million in general damages.
A young woman who should be experiencing independent and carefree years now must rely on the care of others for the rest of her life. People who have been victims of medical malpractice typically suffer physically, emotionally and financially. As this family has done, Louisiana residents who feel they have also experienced a medical malpractice situation can contact an attorney skilled in such matters to review their case details and determine if a civil lawsuit is a viable option.
