4 of the Worst Medical Malpractice Cases
Medical malpractice typically occurs when a healthcare provider deviates from the applicable standard of care. These mistakes are often due to oversight or missed information. However, in some situations, there is such a flagrant disregard for the safety of patients that patients are unnecessarily harmed or killed due to the severe negligence of healthcare providers. Here are four of the worst medical malpractice cases in the United States:
Doctors Perform Heart Surgery on Wrong Patient
A 67-year-old woman had a cerebra angiography performed at a teaching hospital. After the procedure was successfully completed, she was returned to a different hospital room and floor. Rather than being discharged the next day, she was inexplicably taken into surgery, where doctors began performing open-heart surgery on her. An hour after she had been on the operating table, a doctor from a different department called and asked why the doctors were operating on his patient.
Doctor Bypassed the Wrong Artery
Saturday Night Live star Dana Carvey had double bypass surgery performed on him after having several previous procedures to unblock a coronary artery that did not alleviate his chest pain. Two months later, he learned that the surgeon had bypassed one of the wrong arteries. He filed a $7.5 million medical malpractice lawsuit against the surgeon and hospital, ultimately settling the case.
Surgeon Amputated the Wrong Leg
A 52-year-old patient went in for a procedure to have a diseased leg amputated. However, the surgeon amputated the wrong leg after the patient’s medical chart and hospital records identified the wrong leg to be amputated. Following the incident, the doctor’s medical license was suspended for six months, and the medical malpractice case was settled for $1.15 million.
Patient Dies After Organ Transplant with Wrong Blood Type
In one of the most tragic hospital malpractice cases, a 17-year old girl was scheduled to receive a heart and lung transplant at the world-renowned Duke University Medical Center. However, the surgeons who completed the surgery failed to check whether the donor’s blood type was compatible with the patient’s. It was not. Surgeons performed a second transplant to correct the mistake from the original operation, but complications arose. The patient ultimately died two weeks later.
Talk to Our Experienced D.C. Medical Malpractice Lawyer
While the situations above represent some of the worst medical malpractice cases in the United States, they are not isolated events. Unfortunately, serious medical mistakes lead to thousands of deaths every year in this country. If you believe that you were harmed or a loved one was killed due to a negligent healthcare provider’s mistakes, seek the help of an experienced D.C. medical malpractice lawyer.
Bertram & Murphy has more than 30 years of experience handling complex medical malpractice cases throughout D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Our medical malpractice attorney formerly worked as a defense attorney for healthcare providers, so she knows how the other side operates and the defense strategies they use. She uses these invaluable insights to your benefit, crafting aggressive litigation strategies aimed at recovering maximum compensation.
Contact us today for your free and confidential consultation.
