When in need of medical assistance, everyone wants to believe that he or she will receive the best care. People want to believe that medical providers have received all the training they need to do their jobs and to do them right. Unfortunately, mistakes do happen. What can a Louisiana resident do if a medical mistakes leads to the wrongful death of a loved one?
Recently, in another state, the family of a woman who died due to a medical error was recently awarded $6 million in a wrongful death medical malpractice lawsuit. According to reports, in 2012, roughly a week after giving birth to a boy, the victim collapsed at home and was transported via ambulance to a medical facility. During her transport, an EMT placed a tube down her throat to keep her breathing. It was not until the patient reached the hospital that it was learned that the tube was not placed correctly. The victim died soon after her arrival at the hospital.
The original legal complaint for this case was filed in 2014 and the trial, which lasted eight days, only recently concluded. In total, the jury awarded the estate of the deceased $4 million in damages, while her son was awarded an additional $2 million for his personal losses. It has not been reported if the defendant plans on filing an appeal.
Louisiana residents who have lost loved ones due to medical mistakes may do as the family of this victim did and file legal complaints against the responsibility parties. Medical malpractice wrongful death claims are not necessarily easy to fight, and they can certainly take quite a bit of time to resolve. While this may be the case, in the long run, taking the time to pursue legal actions may prove well worth it.
Source: trentonian.com, “Verdict: Capital Health must pay $6M for medical malpractice that killed Trenton mom, 20“, Sulaiman Abdur-Rahman, Sept. 27, 2017