A $5 million wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against Virginia Commonwealth University by the mother of a 6-year-old boy who died after undergoing anesthesia for dental treatment. The lawsuit in Richmond Circuit Court, alleges the defendants “negligently diagnosed, treated and cared for Jacobi Isiah Hill, 6, who died soon after the procedure on May 11, 2010,” the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.
Accounts of the boy’s tragic death reveal something went badly wrong. He attended VCU’s pediatric dental clinic to have caps, also known as crowns, put on several teeth. The suit alleges negligence against VCU Dental Faculty Practice Association, a dentist and two nurse anesthetists. It says they failed to diagnose the boy’s conditions before surgery, including respiratory and cardiac factors.
Unfortunately, our Virginia wrongful death attorneys see a number of surgical errors and medical malpractice lawsuits that are caused by the negligence or carelessness of the anesthesiologist. One of the causes of such cases, which sadly often have dire consequences, occur when the patient is not properly assessed by the anesthesiologist.
Sadly deaths involving anesthesia errors are all too common. Last month our VA attorneys reported how an abortion doctor is facing capital murder charges and a wrongful death civil suit brought by a Virginia family. The family claims the doctor made an anesthesia error that caused their daughter’s death.
Botched dentistry procedures often lead to lawsuits such as that of a South Carolina (SC) woman who was awarded $2 million when she has 13 teeth extracted after going to the dentist to have just three removed.
However, it’s unusual and heartbreaking when a dentistry case goes so awry it ends up as a wrongful death case.
DM