Family of deceased mother allege doctor of medical malpractice

When a Maryland doctor makes a mistake in the diagnosis or treatment of a patient, it raises a number of concerns. First and foremost is the well-being of the patient and the impact of the mistake on his or her condition. Eventually, the incident may raise a different sort of red flag when the patient asks whether the doctor’s mistake amounted to medical malpractice.

A civil jury recently began its deliberations on whether or not cardiologist may have performed his medical responsibilities negligently, which resulted in him committing medical malpractice. He allegedly failed to act on the signs that a long-time patient of his had dementia. His patient, a Chester Township man, had beat his wife to death at their home.

The 75-year-old man reportedly beat his 74-year-old wife of nearly 54 years with a baseball bat a day after he had been taken to an outpatient clinic in order to receive an evaluation and psychological screening. Two of the four children of the deceased filed a suit against the doctor. They say he prescribed both anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medicine for their father and continued to treat him rather than referring him to a mental health professional for an examination.

Medical malpractice occurs in Maryland when a medical professional fails to meet the acceptable standards of care in his or her area of expertise. Grounds for a civil claim typically exist when two separate requirements are met: the malpractice or negligence was perpetrated by a nurse, doctor, hospital or similar health care provider, and the act directly resulted in the injury, disability or death of the victim. An experienced Maryland personal injury attorney is typically consulted to assess the validity of a claim.

Source: dailyrecord.com, “Doctor for Chester man who killed wife on trial for alleged malpractice“, Peggy Wright, Feb. 8, 2017