Amputee sues hospital for medical malpractice

By Greg Kohn
Partner

Hospitals and clinics routinely provide preventive care and ongoing management of injuries and illnesses. And patients and their families are generally grateful for the services doctors and other healthcare providers provide. However, when a medical mistake occurs and a patient is harmed by it, one’s faith in the healthcare system is shaken.

Most New Jersey and New York residents at some point in their lives will visit a hospital for either an acute or a chronic condition. Our readers may find it interesting to learn that a man who filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against a hospital may receive up to $1.7 million if his case settles.

Records indicate a 60-year-old man reported to a hospital emergency room in early 2007 because he had an ulcer on his lower right leg and was experiencing numbness. It was determined he had reduced blood flow in his right leg and foot and he was referred to the hospital’s vascular clinic. However, several months later, he developed a very bad infection in the same leg. As a result of the infection his leg had to be amputated. The man’s lawsuit claims the hospital “failed to meet a standard of care.”

When patients visit a hospital for treatment, there is an expectation they will receive suitable medical attention. In general, healthcare providers have an ongoing duty to provide a reasonable standard of care under the given circumstances. If a hospital or a healthcare provider such as an attending physician or nurse breaches their duty and harms a patient, the healthcare provider may be found negligent and held liable for damages.

An individual who believes they have received substandard healthcare or who have been harmed by a negligent doctor should have the facts of their circumstances evaluated by a personal injury attorney. The right lawyer will be able to give their client an honest assessment of their situation.

Source: Chicago Sun-Times, “County could pay $1.7 million to amputee for medical malpractice settlement,” Lisa Donovan, Jan. 15, 2013

About the Author
Greg Kohn is a partner at Nagel Rice and specializes in complex civil litigation cases, including professional malpractice, personal injury, class actions, wrongful death, products liability, and commercial litigation.  He has extensive experience representing clients in both state and federal court. Greg has tried many jury trials to verdict and has recovered over $50 million in settlements and verdicts in all types of personal injury matters including automobile accidents, wrongful death cases, slip and falls, and other catastrophic injury cases. Greg also handles medical malpractice cases, involving misdiagnoses, wrongful birth, and delayed cancer diagnosis. If you have questions regarding this article, you can contact Greg here.