New Jersey Town to Pay $10 Million to Family of Boy Who Drowned in Town Pool

The Village of Ridgewood, New Jersey has been ordered to pay $10 million to the family of a boy who drowned in the town-owned Graydon Pool in July 2008.  A Hackensack Superior Court jury found the pool was negligently supervised at the time of the 13-year-old boy’s death.

During the incident, there were more than nine lifeguards at the pool and none of them saw the child struggling to stay afloat.  One of the boy’s friends tried to save him, but his efforts were unsuccessful. He alerted the boy’s mother who then alerted the pool manager and lifeguards.

The lawsuit alleged the manager had the lifeguards search the nearby area for the boy, as opposed to looking in the water.  It took 40 minutes for the lifeguards to find the boy in the pool, at which time he had already died.

About Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys

Munley Law is a Pennsylvania accident and injury law firm that represents car accident victims and their families throughout the state of Pennsylvania and the Northeast, […]

LA County Hospital Likely to Pay $2.8 Million in Medical Malpractice Lawsuit

Los Angeles County officials will likely agree to a $2.8 million settlement in a lawsuit brought by a woman whose child suffered birth injuries at the County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in March 2008.

In a lawsuit filed by the then 18-year-old, the woman claims the medical staff failed to perform an emergency cesarean section when she was showing signs of distress during labor.  Her son was later diagnosed with neurological injuries from fetal distress, according to an article in the Contra Costa Times.

The hospital will also waive the nearly $20,000 hospital bill and will cover the $16,000 lien placed against the woman’s home.  In addition, the hospital was required to implement safety measures to prevent future incidents similar to this one.
About Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys

Munley Law is a Pennsylvania accident and injury law firm that represents car accident victims and their families throughout the state of Pennsylvania and the Northeast, […]

Florida Family Files Suit Against Hospital for Fatal Medication Error

The family of a Miami man who died when he was given the wrong medication has filed suit against the North Shore Medical Center.  Instead of being given Pepcid, an over-the-counter antacid, a nurse injected Pancuronium, a muscle relaxant used in hospitals during respiratory intubation, into the man’s IV tube.

The 79-year-old man was admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit where he complained of shortness of breath and an upset stomach.  Although Pepcid was ordered by the attending physician, the nurse grabbed the wrong package, injected the medication, and then left the man alone for nearly 30 minutes.  When the man was found, he was unresponsive.

According to Local10.com, a state investigation found that “the nurse on duty failed to read the label, failed to scan the medication and failed to scan the patient’s ID bracelet.”  Further, the nurse failed to follow proper safeguards to prevent a medication error. […]

Florida Supreme Court Upholds $10.3 Million Medical Malpractice Award

The widow of a man who suffered a heart attack and died when his Palms West Hospital doctor failed to give him the anti-clotting drug Retavase will receive the $10.3 million previously awarded, according to a ruling by the Florida Supreme Court this week.  The award amount was being disputed due to the $1 million medical malpractice cap put in place in Florida months after the man’s death.

The court referred to a decision rendered in July when it determined the award cap could not be applied retroactively.  The man died in 2003, however, the lawsuit was not filed until 2005.  The defense argued the time of lawsuit should be used and thus, the cap limits should apply.

The award amount had also been upheld by the Fourth District Court of Appeal in 2009 saying, “It is therefore well settled that retrospective laws are generally unjust.” […]

Pennsylvania Hospital to Pay $2.2 Million in Birth Injury Lawsuit

UPMC Hamot and several of its doctors have settled a lawsuit filed in 2008 against a woman alleging a “botched” delivery resulted in cerebral palsy and other medical problems for her child.  The childbirth was in 1998.

The woman went to the hospital in February 1998, after going into labor two months prematurely.  The lawsuit claims the medical staff failed to respond appropriately to indications that the fetus was in distress.  Neither the hospital nor the doctors admitted any wrongdoing.

The child will not be able to live independently and suffers from cognitive impairment, seizures and motor and language delay.

According to The Erie Times-News, the $2.2 million will be placed in a special-needs trust and paid out over time to cover the costs of the child’s medical care over her lifetime.
About Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys

Munley Law is a Pennsylvania accident and injury law firm that represents car accident victims and their families throughout the state of Pennsylvania and the Northeast, […]