NC Medical System Charged with Negligence to Pay $25 Million

A father has been awarded $25 million by a Cumberland County, North Carolina jury after finding the Cape Fear Valley Health System negligent in reporting signs of child abuse against the man’s son.  The boy, who lived with his mother at the time, eventually suffered brain injury after additional abuse.

FayObserver.com reports that the lawsuit alleged if the hospital had reported signs of child abuse when the boy was initially treated for a broken wrist and other broken bones that he would not have received a beating later that “caved in his skull and took away his ability to talk or use his arms and legs.”

The young boy was taken to the Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in 2003 when he was six years old.  At the time he had surgery on his wrist, he was also vomiting, and further x-rays revealed an old rib fracture.  […]

Pennsylvania Woman Awarded $23 Million in Medical Malpractice Case

WFMZ-TV reports a Lehigh County, Pennsylvania jury has awarded a Lehighton woman $23 million in a medical malpractice case.  The woman had both legs amputated after her home care nurse failed to evaluate and report an infected catheter for appropriate treatment.

The lawsuit alleged the delay in reporting the infection led to a bloodstream infection that ultimately required the woman’s legs to be amputated below the knees.

The jury found the nurse and her employer, St. Luke’s Miners Memorial Home Care, negligent in caring for the plaintiff.

A spokesman for St. Luke’s said, “As with all malpractice cases, this is a complicated situation, but the resultant jury award is excessive and shocks the conscience.”  The spokesman did not indicate if they would appeal the verdict.

If you or a loved one has been harmed by a form of medical negligence, […]

North Carolina Physician’s Assistant Found Negligent in Mother’s Death

A physician’s assistant (PA) was found negligent in the death of a 42-year-old woman from congestive heart failure less than two months after giving birth to twins at The McDowell Hospital in Marion, NC.    The lawsuit was brought by the husband who claimed the defendants did not do all they could to save the life of his wife.

The man will be awarded $667,000 in the case where he was seeking $6.8 million.  The suit was filed against seven doctors, one physician’s assistant, Asheville Radiology, The McDowell Hospital and McDowell Emergency Physicians.  Most of the defendants settled out of court, however, two doctors, the PA and McDowell Emergency Physicians took the case to court.

The woman was diagnosed with pneumonia after giving birth in February, 2008, and was prescribed a medication for treatment upon her discharge.  Suffering from shortness of breath and nausea, the woman returned to the emergency room several times within the following weeks and was again treated for pneumonia.  […]

Contra Costa County to Pay Over $13 Million in Wrongful Death Lawsuits

Last week, Contra Costa County was ordered to pay over $13 million to settle two separate lawsuits.  In one case they will pay $1.5 million to the family of a man shot by sheriffs in a wrongful death claim.  The second suit requires they pay $11.7 million to the family of a man who died in a crash on a county road.

The county will pay $1.5 million in the case of a man who was shot in 2009 in the emergency room at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center.  The man had checked himself in for the treatment of alcohol withdrawal symptoms.  He became agitated and attempted to cut the restraints off himself with a knife.  His children, who filed the lawsuit, claimed the deputies used excessive force.

In the other case, jurors found the county failed to keep the road safe during road resurfacing work after a man died when he was struck by a vehicle that ran off the road after he stopped to help another driver. […]

American Electric Power to Pay Close to $ 7 Million in Explosion Death

AEP continues to pay lawsuit verdicts from tragic explosion case

A Marshall County, West Virginia jury found American Electric Power (AEP) negligent in a 2007 explosion, and they must pay close to $7 million to the family of a man that died in the explosion.

The lawsuit was brought on behalf of a Tyler County, WV man who was a truck driver at the Muskingum River Power Plant.  The family’s lawyer claimed the explosion was caused by dangerous conditions on the facility’s hydrogen storage tank.  They also claimed there was an explosion 15 months prior and AEP had not taken any corrective actions to prevent a similar accident.

An Ohio jury recently returned a $6 million verdict against AEP for a man who was injured in the same explosion.

The power plant is located on the west bank of the Muskingum River, […]