$2.5 Million Awarded for Failure to Diagnose Colon Cancer

A Virgo County, Indiana jury has awarded $2.5 million to a now 42-year-old former police officer whose doctor failed to diagnose his colon cancer in 2004.  The Tribune Star reports the lawsuit was filed against Dr. John Morse of AP&S Clinic in Terre Haute, Indiana in January 2009.

At 35 years old, the man went to the doctor with rectal bleeding and complaints of other gastric discomforts. Neither a sigmoidoscopy nor colonoscopy was done to rule out colon cancer.  An upper G.I. test was done because of other problems the patient reported. After moving to another state and consulting a different doctor in 2006, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 incurable colon cancer.  He has been given less than a year to live.

Under Indiana’s statutory limit, the award will be reduced to $1.25 million.

Our experienced lawyers know that medical errors are responsible for between 44,000 and 98,000 wrongful deaths every year in American hospitals.  […]

Family Awarded $19.2 Million in Medical Malpractice Case

A three-and-a-half-year-old girl is blind and has cerebral palsy after she was given 100 times the dose of nutrients 15 days after she was born in 2007, claimed the lawsuit filed in Lee County by her parents.  The family has been awarded $19.2 million in the medical malpractice case that could be the first of its kind for Lee County, reports station 2RSWFlorida.

The little girl was born prematurely at HealthPark Medical Center.  The lawsuit was brought against Lee Memorial Health Systems because the overdose led to cardiac arrest and severe complications.  She will be in diapers and will have to be carried and fed the rest of her life.

Liability caps could limit the award to $200,000, but the hospital has never paid a claims bill through the court and the family is hoping this will be the first.

Our attorneys at Munley, […]

Doctor to Pay $3 Million for Birth Defects Suffered 18 Yrs Ago

PostStar.com reports a Warren County state Supreme Court has found a doctor should pay $3 million to a now 18-year-old girl who continues to suffer from birth defects.

The jury found Dr. Stephen Serlin, an OB/GYN should pay the girl who suffers from cerebral palsy and other health issues she suffers because of a brain injury at birth.  Dr. Serlin was found to have “deviated from the acceptable standard of care” which was a large factor in the girl’s health issues.

He was called to the hospital at 5 a.m. to perform an emergency Cesarean section.  He arrived 2 hours later and did not start the surgery until 8:14 am – a delay where the brain injury occurred.  The baby suffered “fetal asphyxia” in the womb due to a compressed umbilical cord.

Birth traumas are injuries that happen to a newborn during labor and delivery.  […]

Fatal Fire in Allentown

Families and community members are reeling this morning after an explosion last night leveled several homes in Allentown, Pennsylvania, leaving two people dead and several others unaccounted for.  CNN reports that two homes were flattened and left burning after the initial explosion, six more were consumed by the resulting fire, and an additional 16 homes were affected by the late night blast.

The cause of the explosion had not yet been confirmed; however, the city’s fire chief Robert Scheirer, said, “We believe it to be a natural gas explosion. We don’t know if the leak was inside the home or out on the street.”  The gas was shut off to stop it from fueling the fire.  Scheirer explained that in the winter fuel lines can freeze and crack, leading to gas leaks.

According to The Morning Call, more than 600 people from the surrounding city blocks and the Gross Towers senior apartment complex, […]

Negligence Alleged in Lawsuit against City in Teen’s Death

In November 2009, a student was killed crossing the dangerous Luten Avenue outside Tottenville High School in Staten Island, New York, reports silive.com. Following the death of the straight-A student, the city installed traffic lights, concrete medians, and other safety devices along the street.

Her mother has filed a wrongful death suit against the NYDOT and the city alleging they failed to have the proper protection in place prior to her daughter’s death despite requests by public officials and the school’s principal for traffic signals.  The senior high school student was crossing the street around 11:30 a.m. when a Nissan, which had stopped to allow her to cross, was rear-ended by another car, pushing it into the victim and pinning her under the rear-tire.

The victim underwent emergency surgery at Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze, but died six days later.  Her mother contends her daughter did not receive proper medical treatment at the scene of the accident which resulted in her death.  […]