In 2014, a 17-year-old kid was on his way to a leadership conference when he suffered a medical event that was compared to a pulmonary embolism. He later died at a hospital and the case wasn’t litigated until the family of the son filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the hospital where their son was treated. The lawsuit alleges that the hospital was negligent in their care of the 17-year-old, and that the physicians were “grossly inaccurate” when they reviewed a kidney ultrasound for the 17-year-old.
Little else is know about the case other than this though. Ultimately the lawsuit was settled out of court for $2 million, a fact that was only uncovered after court documents were filed in November. There are two things to note from this story.
The first is that out of court settlements are the norm for civil lawsuits like this. It isn’t just with medical malpractice: personal injury cases, slip and fall cases, wrongful death cases, and many other lawsuits are often settled out of court. You should be prepared for this if you are considering pursuing a case against a medical institution, a physician, a building owner, a bad driver or any other negligent party.
The other factor to consider here is that medical malpractice cases are often emotional and important. The details and evidence involved in them are critical, and the people filing the lawsuit will be in a better position with experienced legal counsel on their side.
Source: WCAX, “Medical center settles malpractice lawsuit for $2 million,” AP, Dec. 20, 2017
