While some surgical procedures are more minor than others the reality is that there is risk associated with all of them. The recent death of comedian Joan Rivers in the course of an outpatient surgery illustrates this. She died from complications that arose while she underwent procedures to examine her vocal cords and throat. Her unexpected death prompted her daughter to file a medical malpractice lawsuit against the clinic where she underwent the procedure.
The lawsuit alleged several things. First, that the 81 year old suffered a loss of oxygen to her brain that went undetected by the physicians performing the procedure. Next, that in addition to noticing her deteriorating vital signs, they lacked proper training to recognize or know what to do to address the airway obstruction she experienced. It is also asserted that while the comedian’s vital signs were falling, the one of the doctors who was supposed to be taking care of her was taking selfies with his phone. When the issues were discovered the lawsuit claims it took too long to call 911.
When someone dies as a result of medical malpractice it is possible that the family left behind could face dire financial straits. This could prompt them to file a medical malpractice lawsuit. Other times lawsuits are filed in an effort to bring someone to justice or in an effort to prevent the issue from occurring with someone else. This is likely the situation in this case.
Whatever the motivation for filing a medical malpractice lawsuit it is important to begin the process in a timely manner. The first step is generally to contact a lawyer who handles such cases.