In what is being reported as the largest medical malpractice verdict in Wyoming state history, a jury has just awarded a man and his wife $9 million as the result of emergency room negligence. The medical malpractice case arose out of the actions taken by ER physicians and staff after a 51-year-old oil field worker suffered injuries in a truck accident. The man was driving down an icy road when his truck slid off the pavement, rolled over several times and landed upside down. He was immobilized by emergency medical workers who placed him on a backboard and fit him with a neck brace to prevent further damage.
If you have suffered injuries in any type of accident, after you’ve obtained the medical assistance necessary, it is important to speak with an experienced Stockton personal injury lawyer to protect your rights and determine your next steps. In many circumstances, it may be possible to obtain compensation for your harm.
In this situation, the treatment the accident victim received – or failed to receive – led to further injuries. Once the truck driver arrived at the hospital, the ER physician ordered X-rays and CT scans of the patient’s head, spine and facial bones but not of his neck – despite his complaining of neck pain and was released without a cervical collar. Four days later he returned to the hospital with extreme shoulder and neck pain, along with weakness in his arm. Tests revealed he had a broken neck requiring emergency surgery. As the result of the failed diagnosis, the man is in extreme pain, unable to work and primarily confined to home due to his disability. Based on evidence introduced at trial, the jury determined the hospital had been negligent in failing to take neck x-rays.
If you believe you have been injured as the result of another’s negligence, consulting with an experienced accident attorney can help. In situations where you believe you may have been harmed as the result of medical negligence, a top medical malpractice attorney can begin an investigation the circumstances surrounding an injury. Where medical personnel including nurses, physicians and other health care workers fail to meet the requisite standard of care, they may be found liable for medical malpractice and be held responsible to pay damages.
For more information or if you believe you or a loved one has been injured as the result of another’s wrongful conduct, contact a top Stockton personal injury lawyer at the Law Office of Frederick J. Sette for an immediate consultation.