Doctor’s Delay in Medical Treatment After Victim’s Auto Accident Leads to $2.85 Million Award by Jury
By Dean I. Weitzman, Esq. on September 20th, 2013
After being severely injured in an automobile accident on April 17, 2004, victim Randy Green of Marion, S.C., was rushed to Grand Strand Regional Medical Center, where he was to be prepped for surgery to repair severed arteries in his forearm.
But instead of being taken to surgery to stop the serious arterial bleeding, Green was instead sent by a surgeon to receive a CAT scan of his knee, which was also hurt in the crash. That move caused a 30-minute delay before the arterial wounds could be treated, resulting in Green going into cardiac and respiratory arrest, and eventually causing permanent paralysis below his waist, according to a Sept. 17 story in The (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) Sun News.
The jury in the case awarded $2.3 million to Green and another $550,000 to his wife, Ann, for his injuries and continuing care, according to the story. The couple also reached a separate settlement agreement with the hospital, but the terms of that agreement were sealed.
Green’s doctor in the emergency room, surgeon Wayne Bauerle, “negligently ordered Green to be taken from a hospital’s pre-operative holding area for a CAT scan, even though Green’s vital signs were unstable at the time,” according to the jury’s ruling, the paper reported. Instead of immediately performing surgery on the bleeding arteries in Green’s arm, the CAT scan delay allowed the victim to go into arrest, the story reported.
“Although Green was resuscitated by an emergency room doctor and an anesthesiologist, the delay led to the death of a portion of Green’s spinal cord and his permanent paralysis from just above the waist down,” according to The Sun News report. The victim’s blood pressure when he was sent for the CAT scan was 72 over 56, which is considered dangerously low by experts who testified at the trial, the paper reported. The delay, coupled with the victim’s low blood pressure, was evidence of the doctor’s negligence, according to trial testimony.
The victim’s blood pressure and pulse were zero after the cardiac arrest, and he was “without blood flow to his body for between eight minutes and 27 minutes, depending on various witness accounts and medical records,” the paper reported.
This tragic case is a somber reminder of the kinds of problems that can arise when patients seek medical treatment in doctor’s offices, hospitals and other medical facilities and become innocent victims of inadequate or incorrect procedures.
Patients and their families must be vigilant about the medical care they receive so they know what is being done for a patient’s care every step of the way. But at the same time, patients and families aren’t doctors and they can’t know every question to ask.
That’s where skilled, expert, compassionate and thorough legal representation is needed by patients and their families who have been harmed by medical errors or omissions during their treatment. These kinds of cases happen on a regular basis, but they can be fought by legal teams that are prepared to battle for their clients’ rights all along the way to a fair settlement or to a just verdict.
We here at MyPhillyLawyer stand ready to assist you with your legal case if you or a loved one is ever seriously injured in a medical malpractice or related case anywhere in the United States. We represent the families of victims who die in such tragedies as well, to ensure that their families receive every penny of damages that they are eligible to receive.
Call MyPhillyLawyer at 215-227-2727 or toll-free at 1-(866) 352-4572 anytime and our experienced, compassionate, aggressive team of attorneys and support staff will be there for you and your family every step of the way as we manage your case through the legal system.
When Winning Matters Most, Call MyPhillyLawyer.