Even though the source article for today’s post isn’t from Georgia, it still means a lot in the world of medical malpractice. The state of Minnesota just witnessed the largest medical malpractice award in its history after the family of a woman who died after giving birth to her first child successfully sued the nurse practitioner who worked at the emergency room that the woman went to. The lawsuit award was $20 million.
The case stems from a 30-year-old woman who had her first child in 2013. She was discharged from the hospital in a seemingly healthy state. However, she felt nauseous and had a fever shortly after being discharged and had to return to the hospital’s emergency room. Once there, the nurse practitioner determined that the 30-year-old had a urinary tract infection and that she was fine to return home.
The new mother collapsed soon after returning home and died as a result of sepsis, which was the proper diagnosis that was never made in this case. The woman’s family, including her husband, sued the nurse practitioner in 2016, and the case was just completed earlier this week.
This story is a reminder of two important things. The first is that matters of liability and law take a long time to materialize and complete. The woman in this case died in 2013, and justice was only served in the last month. The second and other factor is that when doctors and medical professionals fail to properly diagnose a person’s medical condition, fatal consequences can occur.
Source: Star Tribune, “Twin Cities jury awards $20M in malpractice case for woman who died after giving birth,” Paul Walsh, Aug. 29, 2017
