What Happened
Our client suffered from diabetes but was in otherwise reasonably good health when, at age 60, he was admitted to a hospital for treatment of a toe ulcer. When symptoms of gallbladder disease emerged, his health care team decided that removing the organ was the best treatment option.
Surgeons operated on our client for seven hours before concluding that anatomical irregularities precluded them from taking out his gallbladder safely. Postsurgical complications were identified as problems related to the leakage of bile from a bile duct that a surgeon had inadvertently cut during the gallbladder procedure.
A different group of surgeons at a second hospital stopped the bile from leaking into our client’s abdomen by completely rebuilding his digestive system.
Related Content
Surgeons, Nurses and Hospitals Have Duties to Prevent Surgical Errors
Surgeons’ Responsibilities as Surgical Team Leaders
Are You the Victim of a Surgical Error?
Key Legal Strategy
To fully understand what errors the first group of surgeons made, our Virginia medical malpractice lawyer consulted with the surgeon who led the team that rebuilt our client’s digestive tract. Our attorney then retained two highly qualified surgical experts to testify on behalf of our client that the original surgeons had committed malpractice.
When representatives for the medical malpractice insurance company recognized that the expert testimony could not be refuted, they agreed to enter into mediation. That process ended with our client agreeing to accept a settlement for $425,000.
Proving medical malpractice is often difficult. When we take a case, we work with experts to identify specific acts of negligence or recklessness for which health care providers and hospitals, clinics or pharmacies must answer.