Medical malpractice results in lifelong injuries

It is necessary for people in Maryland to undergo surgery for a variety of reasons. While patients are likely aware that there is some degree of risk in any surgery, they are hopeful that all things go as planned and that their condition is improved. They most likely do not expect that a surgery will result in more pain. One out-of-state woman claims that her surgery actually caused her more problems due to medical malpractice. A jury recently agreed.

Because of complications suffered when she gave birth to her second child in 2009, she underwent surgery in 2008 to repair muscle damage. Unfortunately, the woman and her husband — both plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the doctor who performed the surgery and a nurse practitioner, among others — claim that medical care providers were negligent both during the surgery and afterward. The woman now suffers from nerve damage, a condition that will likely affect her for the rest of her life.

A doctor testified that the defendants in the case did not provide an acceptable standard of care. In fact, the woman returned to the doctor approximately two weeks after the surgery due to an abscess. While an antibiotic was prescribed, the abscess was not drained. Over the course of approximately two months following the surgery, the woman claims that she called the doctor 19 times and visited the office seven times, and she apparently did not receive adequate treatment. A different doctor performed surgery four days after seeing her in September, and before the end of the year, she had undergone three more surgeries.

A jury recently agreed with her medical malpractice claims, awarding her and her husband $1.75 million. That verdict is expected to be appealed. Unfortunately, this woman is not alone in her suffering due to a medical care provider’s negligence. Many people in Maryland have suffered, some even facing the loss of a loved one due to these acts. Seeking legal recourse in a civil court could not only result in an award of monetary damages, but it could also protect the next patient.

Source: timesunion.com, “$1.75M award in malpractice suit“, Robert Gavin, Nov. 22, 2014