After a five week trial, a Connecticut woman has been awarded $25 million to a woman whose leg was caused to be amputated due to negligent treatment of a blood clot. In November of 2009, the young and athletic woman sought treatment at a local hospital for an asthma attack. While at the hospital, the physicians voiced concern regarding the woman’s additional complaints of numbness and pain in her left leg. Diagnostic testing revealed a blood clot however because the hospital that the woman had presented to was a small, community hospital, there was no vascular surgeon on duty.
When the on-call vascular surgeon was consulted by phone, he ordered another test and then ultimately ordered that she be sent home with instructions to follow up with him in person in three days. After she was released, her condition worsened and she ultimately ended up requiring the amputation of a portion of her leg.
In addition to suing the vascular surgeon who was consulted, the woman also named the hospital emergency room doctors as defendants. Those doctors, who are considered generalists, pointed the finger at the vascular surgeon claiming he was the one with the expertise regarding how to treat this condition. The jury found that the vascular surgeon was sixty percent responsible and that the emergency room physicians and hospital were forty percent responsible.
The jury’s award included $4.2 million the woman’s economic loss such as medical expenses and lost wages, and $20.7 million for pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment of life’s daily activities. Our experienced medical malpractice attorneys have successfully resolved a number of limb amputation medical malpractice cases. Our experienced Maryland medical malpractice attorneys are here to help. If you or a loved one were the victim of similar amputation or vascular surgery malpractice, or any other type of medical error, contact Andrew G. Slutkin with further questions or inquiries at 410-385-2786 for a free consultation.