Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton
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A young man went in for hip surgery at a Virginia (VA) hospital and came out forever changed due to an egregious medical error. The young man explicitly requested not to be given narcotic pain medication, but a nurse failed to adhere to this simple request and administered fentanyl (based on an order from a physician), according to Virginia Lawyers Weekly.
Fentanyl is an extremely powerful pain medication. In fact, it's 80 times more powerful than morphine and 100 times more powerful than heroin. Yes, you read that right - more powerful than heroin! As a result, the young man went into cardiopulmonary arrest and was deprived of oxygen for a prolonged period of time. Fortunately, he survived, but suffered brain damage.
The victim received a $1,528,000 settlement for this terrible incident. Given the circumstances surrounding this medical mistake, I'd say this settlement was justified.
Roughly 200,000 people die every year due to preventable medical errors and hospital-related infections, according to a report by Hearst Newspapers. And this is just the number of reported deaths from medical mistakes. Since many states do not have a mandatory reporting system, the number could be much higher.
In the discussions revolving around health care reform, the issue of preventable medical errors was rarely broached. Sadly, the onus was placed on so-called tort reform and vilifying plaintiff attorneys. However, the attorney representing the young man who will forever struggle with brain damage was a plaintiff's attorney and he successfully litigated a settlement that will help the victim deal with a lifetime of medical expenses. How is he a villain in our legal system? The truth is, he isn't.
We need to place a national spotlight on preventable medical mistakes. Too many incidences similar to the young man who went in for hip surgery at a hospital and came out with brain damage occur every day. We need a national reporting system so we can fully evaluate the errors that take place followed by a blue-ribbon commission to implement an action strategy that will reduce the number of people severely affected by medical errors.
About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a Virginia injury law firm whose attorneys focus on personal injury and accident law and have extensive experience handling medical malpractice and doctor mistake cases. Please take a few moments to review our medical malpractice case results. We have offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, VA, but we're ready to come to you anywhere in Virginia, including Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Newport News and Suffolk, VA, if you've been seriously hurt by the carelessness of a doctor, surgeon, nurse or pharmacist.
Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been recognized as among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Also, Rick and Jim have been named Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law since 2010. Fewer than 5 percent of lawyers are chosen for this professional honor.
Members of our VA personal injury law firm have also been selected by the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009. In addition, we were the first injury law firm in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms. Our VA medical malpractice firm has the highest rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer ranking organization, which means we have a reputation for preeminent legal skill.
We offer free special reports on the Top 10 Tips from a Medical Malpractice Insider and the top five surgical errors you must know about.
While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer free initial confidential injury case consultation, so call us toll free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, please leave a voicemail so we can return your call.
About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a Virginia injury law firm whose attorneys focus on personal injury and accident law and have extensive experience handling medical malpractice and doctor mistake cases. Please take a few moments to review our medical malpractice case results. We have offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, VA, but we're ready to come to you anywhere in Virginia, including Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Newport News and Suffolk, VA, if you've been seriously hurt by the carelessness of a doctor, surgeon, nurse or pharmacist.
Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been recognized as among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Also, Rick and Jim have been named Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law since 2010. Fewer than 5 percent of lawyers are chosen for this professional honor.
Members of our VA personal injury law firm have also been selected by the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009. In addition, we were the first injury law firm in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms. Our VA medical malpractice firm has the highest rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer ranking organization, which means we have a reputation for preeminent legal skill.
We offer free special reports on the Top 10 Tips from a Medical Malpractice Insider and the top five surgical errors you must know about.
While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer free initial confidential injury case consultation, so call us toll free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, please leave a voicemail so we can return your call.
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