Homeless Man Awarded $41,000 for Fraternity Shooting Incident

A homeless man who was shot with a .22 caliber rifle by an Oregon State University fraternity member has been awarded over $6,000 for medical expenses and $35,000 in non-economic damages, totaling over $40,000.

The jury found both the Association of Alpha Beta Chapter of Alpha Gamma Rho (AGR) and a former member responsible for the 2006 shooting, according to news reports. The national organization was not held responsible.

Witnesses testified that the fraternity members were known to shoot BB guns from the fraternity building windows and had talked about shooting homeless people with BB guns, news reports stated. After a search of the fraternity house, police found more than 24 firearms. The guns are allowed according to the AGR guidelines as long as they are securely locked.

The individual found liable in the case testified he was aiming at a dumpster and not the homeless man. […]

$4.34 Million Awarded To Veteran Paralyzed After Spinal Surgery

A 66-year-old veteran who alleged he was left paralyzed from spinal surgery at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in West Los Angeles has been awarded $4.34 million by a federal judge, according to Courthouse News Service.

In October 2005, Alvin Johnson had spinal surgery to correct a ruptured disc at the VA medical center, according to the article. Doctors injected Surgifoam, a material which absorbs blood and other fluids, into the space created once the ruptured disc was removed.

According to the complaint, the doctors did not remove all the excess foam and it expanded, pressing against the spinal cord. When the veteran’s daughter was notified two and a half hours later, Mr. Johnson had no feeling from his neck down and was nearly completely paralyzed.

An MRI showing the spinal cord was compressed was ordered by another doctor, but Mr. […]

Alleged Hospital Error Using Fentanyl Patch Fatal To Autistic Teen

Autistic teen dies from accidental drug overdose in medical malpractice case

A wrongful death lawsuit alleges a 15-year-old Autistic boy died in March when he was given a Fentanyl patch to alleviate his pain from a routine tooth extraction, reports Seattlepi.com.

Seattle Children’s Hospital sent Michael home with his mother on March 9, following the extraction, with the fentanyl patch for pain, according to a civil suit filed earlier this month in Washington’s King County Superior Court. Family members found him unresponsive the next morning and paramedics were unable to revive him – he was pronounced dead at his home.

The medical examiner report states the boy died from a drug overdose caused by the fentanyl patch, which is usually used for patients with chronic pain such as cancer patients, the newspaper reports.

Children’s Medical Director has admitted the hospital staff erred when if prescribed the fentanyl to Michael, […]

Parents Sue Day Care Center in Child’s Death

According to the Philadelphia Daily News, the parents of a 2-year-old boy will sue Fairy Tales Daycare and its owners in the boy’s death.

On July 1, 2009, the child died after being left in the back seat of a locked van with the windows rolled up and temperatures exceeding 80 degrees. The lawsuit alleges the boy’s parents paid their neighbor and co-owner of the daycare center to take the child to the center at least three times a week.

On this day, however, the child was left in the van where he was not discovered until about 4:30 pm in the afternoon. He was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead of heat stroke, also known as hyperthermia.

No criminal charges have been filed in the case.

The Scranton, Pennsylvania attorneys of Munley, Munley & Cartwright have years of experience representing the survivors of wrongful death victims. […]

$10 Million Awarded to Amputee in Houston Medical Malpractice Lawsuit

Man has leg, fingers, and toes unnecessarily amputated due to botched procedure

According to the Houston Chronicle, a Harris County jury has awarded a Houston man $10 million in a lawsuit filed against Methodist Hospital and the doctors who treated him there.

In 2002, the man underwent heart surgery for an improperly functioning valve. After the surgery, he developed gangrene and had to have multiple amputations, including his left leg above the knee, his fingers and the toes on his right foot.

The lawsuit alleged Methodist Hospital failed to monitor the patient properly for blood disorders after they administered the drug Heparin. Heparin is a widely used blood thinner that is known to have side effects including immunological reactions that cause excess bleeding. This, alleged the plaintiff, resulted in the development of gangrene.

If you or a loved one in Pennsylvania has been harmed by a medical mistake, […]