Teen lost All Her Limbs as a Toddler; Jury Awarded Almost $12 Million for Compensation!

Here is another sad story to report from an out-of-state medical malpractice lawsuit.  And while the almost $13 million sounds like a lot of money—and granted it really is—this money will barely compensate this young teenage girl who has lost all four of her limbs due to medical malpractice.  The money needs to go to paying for all her medical bills for the rest of her life, for to cover and special accommodations she needs, and to help attempt to make her whole again. 
           
The facts are not too complicated either, and the doctor’s mistake is simple enough YET drastic.  What happened was that when this baby was born is that she had various health complications which already primed her to have a difficult life.  When she was two-years-old, she went to the hospital for a routine vaccination for individuals without spleens which helps protect against bacterial infections.  Ironically, what happened was the vaccine was expired and created a HORRIFIC infection.
           
This infection resulted in the slowing of her blood flow to her extremities and—eventually—it lead to gangrene.  When a patient is suffering from gangrene it is a very serious and potentially deadly scenario.  Commonly, a patient will need intense treatment and likely amputations to remove damaged or irreversibly infected limbs.
           
The issue here was that the mother of the child delayed seeking assistance immediately, which exacerbated the severity of the infection and caused a worse situation than what just the hospital caused.  So the jury found that the mother was fifty-percent liable, which means that she can only recover half of the $13 million. 
          
So with that said, this was an error that could have completely been avoided by the hospital by simply checking the expiration date.  But also, when you realize that someone is really sick and not doing well, particularly when there are infection-like symptoms, IMMEDIATELY seek out assistance!  Also err on the side of caution, especially when someone already has severe medical conditions already that could only compound the issue.

But what do you think?!  I welcome your phone call on my toll-free cell at 1-866-889-6882 or you can drop me an e-mail at jfisher@mmolaw.net.  You are always welcome to request my FREE book, The Seven Deadly Mistakes of Malpractice Victims, at the home page of my website at www.protectingpatientrights.com.