What Our Clients Say

Check out our testimonial library featuring clients discussing their experiences, and learn
Why Clients Choose Us

You went above and beyond the call of duty for an attorney.
I like to deal with people who are honest and who keep their word. You are that kind of straight shooter.
I would recommend Mr. Shapiro and his staff to other persons who have a personal injury and need help with their situation as I did.
I asked a friend of mine...what attorney would he use [to handle a mesothelioma case] and he immediately said Rick Shapiro. He called Rick on his cell phone and explained our situation and handed me the phone. That connection to the law firm of Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis and Appleton began a relationship of trust and a sense of confidence that we had not experienced before. It was apparent to us that we had the right team fighting for our father.
She returned my calls promptly and everyone at the office was courteous and helpful.
I was really happy with the work that John Cooper did on my auto accident case. We went to mediation and got the case resolved for a good amount which will let me do things to help my financial future like buying a house.

View All

Videos

Medical Malpractice/Doctor Mistakes:

Watch All

We Welcome LAWYER REFERRALS. Click Here

InjuryBoard Links

Information on Pertinent Topics and Issues in Injury Law

Medical Malpractice/Doctor Mistakes

2/9/2010
James Lewis
Comments (0)

Surgical Mistake Reportedly Led to Rep. Murtha’s Death

John Murtha, a U.S. Congressman for nearly 40 years and the first Vietnam War veteran to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, may have died due to a surgical error, according to the Post-Gazette.com

Rep. Murtha went in for Laparoscopic gallbladder removal surgery but suffered complications after the procedure. Apparently, the complications stemmed from when the surgeon accidently cut his intestines causing an infection to develop, according to rawstory.com.

Unfortunately, surgical mistakes like these are not uncommon. In fact, nearly 200,000 people die every year due to preventable medical errors. Given these shocking statistics, our law firm recently published a consumer report about the most common surgical mistakes (be sure to take a look if you or a loved one is planning to undergo surgery).

Here's a video discussing the unbelievably high number of preventable deaths due to medical mistakes...

In a confidential study, almost 9 percent of U.S. surgeons responding said they made a major error in the three months prior to being surveyed, according to the Mayo Clinic. Over 70 percent of surgeons attributed the error to themselves rather than a systemic or organizational cause.

If the reports are true, Rep. Murtha death due to a preventable surgical error highlights the fact that anyone, even influential Congressmen, can be adversely affected by mistake mistakes. We need dramatic reform in our health safety system. I recently wrote an article about how many surgical mistakes could be prevented with the use of a "safe-surgery" checklist.

This checklist would provide basic procedural guidelines that must be checked, and re-checked before and after a surgery. A recent study shows that approximately one third of patient complications and deaths have been reduced when surgeons followed the "safe-surgical checklist." Despite its effectiveness, only 20 percent of hospitals have adopted it. This needs to change. It's clear what we're doing now isn't working as well as it should. A checklist could be an effective tool in decreasing the number of needless deaths due to surgical mistakes.

Labels: Attorney complications error injury Laparoscopic Lewis medical mistake surgery surgical

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a law firm which focuses on injury and accident law and our attorneys have extensive experience handling medical malpractice cases. Please take a moment to review our medical malpractice case results and visit our blog dedicated exclusively to medical malpractice and surgical error issues. Our primary office in based in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA) but we're ready to come to you anywhere in Virginia if you've been seriously hurt by a doctor's carelessness. While not every injury case meets our criteria, we off a free, initial confidential injury case consultation, so call us toll free at 1-800-752-0042. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, please leave a voicemail and we will return your call promptly.

Rick Shapiro and James Lewis were included among the "Best Lawyers in America" 2010 Edition. Rick and Jim, along with fellow attorney John Cooper were named Virginia "Super Lawyers" For Personal Injury Law (2010, less than 5% of lawyers are chosen). Members of the firm have also been selected by the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum (2009). In addition, we were the first injury law firm in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical, respected law firms. Our 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 5 Surgical Errors You Must Know About. Furthermore, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard as a public information service. Our injury attorneys also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube.

There are no comments.

Our Free Guides

Get Help Now

Main VA Office
1294 Diamond Springs Road
Virginia Beach, VA 23455
Phone: (757)-460-7776
Fax: (757)-460-3428
Toll Free: 1-800-752-0042

Get Directions

Hampton-Peninsula Area Office
Mill Point Center
101 Eaton Street
Hampton, Virginia 23669
Phone: (757)-788-8162

Get Directions

North Carolina Office
101 E. Elizabeth Street
Elizabeth City, NC 27909
Toll Free: 1-800-752-0042

Get Directions

Offices

Main VA Office
1294 Diamond Springs Road
Virginia Beach, VA 23455
Phone: (757)-460-7776
Fax: (757)-460-3428
Toll Free: 1-800-752-0042

Hampton-Peninsula Area Office
Mill Point Center
101 Eaton Street
Hampton, Virginia 23669
Phone: (757)-788-8162

North Carolina Office
101 E. Elizabeth Street
Elizabeth City, NC 27909
Toll Free: 1-800-752-0042

Case Results

DISCLAIMER: PLEASE NOTE THAT EVERY CASE IS DIFFERENT, AND THE VERDICTS AND SETTLEMENTS MENTIONED ON THIS WEBSITE, WHILE ACCURATE, DO NOT REPRESENT WHAT WE MAY OBTAIN FOR YOU IN YOUR CASE.