Articles Posted in In The News

Research shows that there are approximately 700 deaths in the United States each day due to medical negligence or error. A television station looked into medical malpractice deaths in Wisconsin and came up with some disturbing information.

Johns Hopkins led a research study that found that medical errors were the cause of death in more than 250,000 patients each year. That makes medical mistakes the third leading cause of death in America. Unfortunately, if that malpractice occurs in Wisconsin, it can be difficult to seek justice.

In the state, the cap on medical malpractice cases is lower than in many other states. For University of Wisconsin doctors, the limit is set at $250,000. For other physicians in the state, the cap is set at $750,000. This means that no matter the cost of your bills, the amount of injury or the dramatic way your life was impacted, you may never get what you truly deserve.

A major settlement was approved in Oakland County Circuit Court on July 20. The patients who filed suit against three hospitals in the state along with oncologist Farid Fata will share a settlement that totals $8 million.

Fata was accused and found guilty of intentionally misdiagnosing or mistreating patients. He is currently in prison, serving a 45-year federal sentence. Fata told patients that they had cancer in order to obtain millions from different insurance companies. The patients that he misdiagnosed underwent unnecessary chemotherapy treatments.

The doctor pleaded guilty two years ago to several charges including conspiracy, fraud and money laundering. As part of his sentence, his assets were to be liquidated in order to make restitution.

Kimberly Jeffery-Wolfert is suing her former employer, UC Health, stating that her old bosses did not follow acceptable safety protocols. The former nurse further alleges that the actions, or lack of actions, on the part of the hospital put patients at risk.

Wolfert worked for the healthcare system as an infection preventionist. Part of her duties were overseeing disinfection and sterilization procedures. As part of those duties, Wolfert conducted an investigation to undercover the cause of a multi-drug resistant bacteria that was discovered in various intensive care units at UC Health. Wolfert says that she was told to collect data and nothing else.

According to the former UC Health nurse, hundreds of patients may have been infected. After she discovered that the source of the bacteria were contaminated bronchial scopes, the manufacturer provided cleaning and maintenance procedures to the hospital. UC Health chose not to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations, according to Wolfert.

Lori Cichewicz, a woman in Michigan, was told nearly a decade ago that if she had children, they would be born with Down Syndrome. Cichewicz elected to undergo a permanent birth control procedure to eliminate her chances of becoming pregnant. In 2011, Cichewicz gave birth to her daughter.

Fox News reported that Cichewicz had her fallopian tubes blocked in the 2008 procedure and that her doctor eventually told her she no longer needed to use birth control. Just three years later, Reagan was born. Reagan has Down Syndrome and Cichewicz is suing her doctor.

It is not that Reagan was born with Down Syndrome that has Cichewicz seeking damages. Instead, it is because she never wanted children to begin with and did what she was told was necessary to prevent pregnancy. She wants her doctor held accountable and is also seeking damages for emotional distress.

According to a Marion County judge, a doctor who was accused of not reporting a suspected case of child abuse cannot be sued for medical malpractice.

Reports say that Dr. Chris Loman was facing a lawsuit in Indiana for not informing child services that a minor patient was being abused at home. The law in the state requires that doctors report abuse or suspected abuse. Loman examined Jayden Noel, then 1-year-old, for a cut on his lip and bruises on his face in July 2011.

The child was beaten to death in January 2012.

Earlier in the month, we shared the news that a woman in Illinois had one a $53 million medical malpractice lawsuit. One of the defendants was The University of Chicago Medical Center.

Lisa Ewing filed the lawsuit in 2013 on behalf of her 12-year-old son, Isaiah. The child was born with a brain injury and the hospital and medical staff involved in the delivery were found to be negligent in that delivery. According to the original lawsuit, the medical staff made 20 mistakes after Ewing arrived at the hospital to deliver her son.

Mistakes in the delivery included a failure to perform a c-section in a timely manner, diagnose heart rate patterns, and follow the chain of command.

Several health care providers are being sued by a Mississippi woman who alleges they caused harm to her son.

The child, identified as TDG, was a patient at Longleaf Hospital and diagnosed with intermittent explosive disorder. His mother, Barbara Jeane Gaines of Natchez, says that on August 23, 2015, her son was involved in an altercation with another patient.

The lawsuit alleges that staff removed TDG from the situation and took him to his room. TDG was struck in the torso and head by Keith Newman, a technician at the hospital, and another employee. TDG suffered black eyes and a laceration to his nose.

Court papers say that a 13-hour ordeal in a hospital cost a man in Brooklyn his leg.

Delfino Cuautle’s attorney said, in part, “On September 22, 2015, Delfino Cuautle joined a series of patients victimized and disabled by the medical malpractice and mismanagement plaguing Coney Island Hospital.”

According to the filing, Cuautle, 46, had gotten off of work in Coney Island when he was struck by a car just after 6 a.m. Emergency medical responders arrived on scene within three minutes and rushed the father of three to Coney Island Hospital. Within 60 minutes, doctors determined that Cuautle’s right leg contained no blood.

A judge approved a settlement last week in a medical malpractice case. The victim’s widow will receive $6 million based on the judge’s orders.

According to reports, Leigh A. Isaacs filed the action after her husband, Harold D. Isaacs Jr., died on June 21, 2013 at the age of 41. The couple resided in New Wilmington at the time of the man’s death.

The notice of intent to sue was filed in Mercer County Common Please Court on June 19, 2015. Named in the lawsuit were University of Pittsburgh Physicians, UPMC Horizon in Greenville and Dr. Joseph J. Wizorek.

A woman in Illinois died after medical professionals failed to properly read her mammogram, according to a complaint filed in Cook County Circuit Court.

The estate of Rosa Alvarado, administered by Francisco Adame, filed the complaint with the court on June 20. The defendants named in the complain are Advocate Health Care, Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Integrated Imaging Consultants LLC, and Kevin Kirshenbaum, M.D. The complaint alleges that the defendants failed to evaluate Alvarado’s condition accurately.

The complaint states that Alvarado underwent a mammogram on August 16, 2013. The bilateral digital diagnostic mammogram was not evaluated correctly, causing Alvarado’s condition to become worse. That condition ultimately led to the woman’s death. The plaintiff in the case claims that, because the mammogram was not evaluated properly, Alvarado died.