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Wrongful Death – Negligent Operation and Maintenance of Hoyer Sling Lift: Hunt v. Regency at Waterford et al.
Sommers Schwartz attorneys Matthew L. Turner and Lenore Zakhem recently filed a wrongful death suit on behalf of Brenda Hunt, the personal representative for the ...
  • Confidential $1.9 Million Settlement for Wrongful Death Due to Timely Diagnose and Treat Ischemic Bowel Condition

Sommers Schwartz attorneys Richard Groffsky secured a confidential $1.9 million medical malpractice settlement on behalf of the estate of a 50-year-old woman who died defendants failed to timely diagnose and treat her ischemic bowel condition.

The decedent’s medical history included a laparoscopic cholecystectomy 25 years earlier, at which time she sustained a bile duct injury that resulted in numerous stents. Her medical history also included femoral and inguinal hernias.

The decedent presented to the emergency room complaining of severe abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. She underwent a gastroenterology consultation, was given a prescription for Zofran and sent home.

The decedent returned to the ER the next day with worsening symptoms. Various tests were performed, and her lab work showed an elevated white blood cell count. The decedent was admitted to the hospital for observation, but her condition rapidly deteriorated, and she was transferred to the critical care unit.

While in the critical care unit, the decedent’s pain levels increased, she was hypertensive and tachycardic. The attending physicians continued to “observe” and monitor the decedent but never intervened surgically. The decedent’s medical history included a laparoscopic cholecystectomy 25 years earlier, at which time she sustained a bile duct injury that resulted in numerous stents. Her medical history also included femoral and inguinal hernias.

As a result of the failure to timely diagnose and treat the decedent’s ischemic bowel condition, she suffered septic shock, cardiopulmonary arrest, brain damage, and wrongful death. Had surgery been performed in a timely manner, the decedent would have likely survived.

The decedent was survived by her husband and four children, two of whom were under the age of 18.

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