Nearly four years after suffering from a painful and serious bacterial infection, a man recently won his civil suit against the doctor responsible for his care. The medical malpractice suit, filed in 2011, claimed that the New York doctor botched the man’s treatment and sent him home despite the infection. The man was awarded $2.3 million in damages.
The now 52-year-old man went to the medical facility where the doctor worked to get an MRI. While at the health facility, he received an injection, and the man believed that the injection was what caused the bacterial infection. On Sept. 29, 2010, the man had to go to the hospital for a culture test, and two days later he returned to the doctor at the medical facility. After a reportedly quick visit, the doctor sent him home yet again.
Two days after the visit with the doctor, the man had to return to the hospital, and he suffered irreparable damage from the infection. The man claims that he had test results and paperwork from the hospital to prove that he had a serious bacterial infection, but the doctor still dismissed him. He claimed in the suit that he has suffered loss of enjoyment of life and can no longer work his construction job, and a jury returned the verdict in his favor.
In this society, medical professionals are expected to administer quick and effective aid when a person is in need. However, sometimes they are negligent in their actions, and patients can suffer serious injuries. Even though the New York man has suffered from the doctor’s actions, the money won from the medical malpractice suit can be used to cover necessary expenses and hopefully improve the quality of his changed life.
Source: lohud.com, “Nyack Hospital orthopedist hit with $2.3 million jury verdict“, Jorge Fitz-Gibbon, Aug. 2, 2014