Negligent doctor faces murder charges

By Greg Kohn
Partner

Access to healthcare is important for the well-being of any person. Most visit doctors for preventive care, urgent health matters or the management of chronic diseases. When offering services, hospitals are required to comply with various patient safety and health regulations and they are required to maintain a hygienic and sanitary environment. When a patient is seriously harmed because of a negligent doctor or conditions at a hospital, it may help to contact medical malpractice attorney.

New Jersey residents may be aware of the national story surrounding a Philadelphia doctor who is now facing capital murder charges in connection with the death of a woman patient and the deaths of seven babies who were allegedly born alive. The doctor apparently performed abortions in unhygienic conditions. When authorities raided his clinic in 2010, they found blood on the floor, smelled urine in the clinic and found a flea infested cat wandering in the facility. A 22-year-old woman allegedly died of sepsis and infection after a procedure performed by the doctor at this clinic. The doctor claims that he is being unfairly held to standards one might expect at the Mayo Clinic.

Regardless of the type of services provided by a clinic, in general, healthcare providers have an on-going to duty to provide a reasonable standard of care. This includes maintaining a sanitary and hygienic environment and meeting state health and safety standards. When a patient is directly harmed because of a botched procedure, the patient may be entitled to compensation.

It is hard to fathom the conditions described in the above case and it is difficult to come to terms with the resulting loss of life. For any family that has suffered a loss of a loved one, pursuing a medical malpractice lawsuit may bring some measure of justice.

Source: NPR, “Pennsylvania Tightens Abortion Rules Following Clinic Deaths,” Jeff Brady, March 28, 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.