Luzerne County Prepares for Drilling Disaster

In preparation for Encana Oil & Gas USA’s plan to begin drilling a well at a site in Fairmount Township, the Luzerne County Emergency Management Agency has begun an emergency response plan in case of a drilling disaster. Town officials are working closely with the energy company to identify the protocol to handle any local natural gas drilling-related catastrophe that might occur.

According to an Encana spokesperson, the local firefighters and emergency responders are not responsible for containing or fighting a gas well fire or gas release at a well site, however, they will be asked to provide support to Enanca’s specially trained teams.

Encana admits that “risks are inherent in the oil and natural gas industry,” but that safety is their top priority. They will look to local emergency responders to secure and evacuate the immediate area, in an emergency, while the designated well-control company representatives are en route to the disaster site. […]

$3.5 Million Awarded In Lawsuit Over Botched Surgery

The Baltimore Sun reports a 53-year-old woman has won $3.5 million in her medical malpractice suit against Vascular Surgery Associates and two of its surgeons following a botched surgery.

In 2007 the woman’s surgery for blocked arteries ended in devastating injuries including damage to her spinal cord which left her a paraplegic. The lawsuit claimed the doctor used an improper grafting technique which led to various injuries including blood loss, and paralysis.

The award included $1.3 million in noneconomic damages, $2 million for future medical bills, and more than $200,000 for prior medical bills.

Our medical malpractice lawyers have decades of experience handling complex cases involving medical errors, misdiagnoses, and hospital infections. We will evaluate your case thoroughly and explore all potential sources of recovery – we fight to protect the rights of patients.  If you or a loved one has been harmed by medical negligence, […]

Family Accepts $5.2 Million After Caesarean Section Death

The family of a 32-year-old woman who died following childbirth in 2007 has accepted $5.2 million from two doctors and the Albany Medical Center Hospital, reports the Albany Times Union. The settlement also includes mandated changes in procedures at the hospital.

After a normal and healthy pregnancy, the mother bled to death following a Caesarean section despite several calls to her primary obstetrician stating she was bleeding internally. After the third call, the doctor came to operate on the patient, but by then she had lost too much blood, the newspaper reported.

Instead of going to trial in August, the family accepted the settlement because they could not have won the non-monetary stipulations in a trial. These stipulations require the hospital to take specific steps to enhance patient safety.

Our attorneys at Munley, Munley, & Cartwright are experienced in medical malpractice lawsuits and will evaluate your case thoroughly and explore all potential sources of recovery – we fight to protect the rights of patients. […]

$1.6 Million Awarded In College Basketball Player’s Death

According to the Associated Press, a jury has awarded parents $1.6 million in their medical malpractice lawsuit filed following their son’s death on an Eastern Connecticut State University basketball court.

The 22-year-old senior collapsed during a basketball game in 2005. The parents alleged the doctor who examined him in 2001 should have found the congenital heart defect known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The doctor found him to be in excellent health and signed his college medical form.

The doctor scheduled an echocardiogram for the young man after the examination, but he did not show up for the test.

Our attorneys at Munley, Munley, & Cartwright are experienced in medical malpractice lawsuits and will evaluate your case thoroughly and explore all potential sources of recovery – we fight to protect the rights of patients. If you or a loved one has been harmed by medical negligence, […]

Patients Undergo Risky, Unnecessary Medical Procedure

The Baltimore Sun reports hundreds of heart patients from St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson, Maryland may have undergone an unnecessary medical procedure. St. Joseph Medical Center calls itself the busiest heart catheterization center in Maryland, and is thought of as one of the primary cardiac care facilities in the area.

At least 369 patients have received letters informing them they may have received expensive and potentially dangerous coronary stents they did not need. At the time of their surgery the patients were told they needed the stent to open an artery which had severe blockage. They have since learned their blockage was only minor.

Dr. Mark Midei is the only doctor implicated in the hospital investigation so far. He allegedly told patients they had up to a 90 percent blockage, when in fact they had only a 10 percent blockage. In other patients, he placed two stents when only one was necessary. […]