Medical malpractice case results in $9.1 million award

When individuals in Maryland need medical treatment, they are often helped by experienced health care practitioners. However, even the most highly-trained professionals still make mistakes sometimes. Unfortunately, when mistakes are made, it is often at the expense of an individual’s health. When this is the case, the victim may have cause to file a medical malpractice lawsuit against the responsible parties.

A former auto mechanic was recently awarded one of the biggest medical malpractice verdicts ever in an out-of-state case. The mechanic, who had suffered spinal cord damage as well as paralysis as a result of a 2012 surgery, received $9.1 million from a jury. The man’s attorney had argued that when the man went in for surgery to remedy a perforated bowel, his anesthesiologist had let him become dangerously dehydrated right before surgery.

The man, 51, had gone to the medical center with flu-like symptoms. He received fluids for dehydration, and doctors later located his injury and recommended surgery. The problem began — according to his attorneys’ arguments — when the doctor ceased treating the dehydration while concurrently placing him on anesthesia roughly an hour before surgery. This double whammy reportedly caused the man’s blood pressure to drop, and, consequently, his spinal cord no longer received adequate blood flow.

When a patient suffers an injury from the result of a health care professional’s negligence, the victim typically has the right to pursue a medical malpractice lawsuit against the party or parties believed to be responsible. Successfully presented, a claim may result in a judgment for any financial damages sustained. Medical malpractice victims in Maryland are entitled to seek counsel to assess the validity of any legal claims and to advocate on their behalf in pursuing claims for financial relief.

Source: startribune.com, “Paralyzed Minn. man awarded $9.1 million in malpractice case“, Jeremy Olson, Oct. 17, 2015