While the following story doesn’t originate from Atlanta or even the state of Georgia, the circumstances are important because they could apply anywhere. The story involves a medical malpractice case in Massachusetts.
A 78-year-old man went to the hospital nearly nine years ago complaining of shortness of breath. He had also gained some weight which he couldn’t explain. He was admitted and diagnosed with numerous heart conditions, including congestive heart failure and an atrial flutter. By the end of his night of treatment, however, his condition worsened — to the point that the hospital needed to transfer him to a critical care unit.
It took 11 hours for the hospital to official make the transfer, and by the time it happened, the 78-year-old was unresponsive. He was put on life support and remained in the hospital for 11 days until, finally, the decision was made to remove him from life support. He died shortly thereafter.
The 78-year-old’s family filed a lawsuit against the medical center where the man was treated. The case cited negligence on the part of the nursing staff for failing to move the man to the new facility in a timely manner, and that this contributed to the 78-year-old’s death. A jury awarded the family $250,000.
This is an unfortunate example of how experienced and highly-trained medical professionals can still make mistakes that can claim an innocent person’s life. Don’t let medical negligence be swept under the rug. Hold reckless medical professionals accountable when they make life-changing mistakes.
Source: Telegram, “Jury finds malpractice in UMass Memorial lawsuit,” Gary V. Murray, Dec. 26, 2016
