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Husband, son awarded $6.55 million in medical malpractice suit

On Behalf of | Aug 12, 2019 | Personal Injury

For most families in Ohio and across the country, the time leading up to the birth of a baby is one filled with anticipation and excitement over what the future will bring. While there are inherent risks associated with the process of labor and delivery, many of them can be avoided or treated when quality health care is provided. Unfortunately, one man experienced both the happiness of his son’s birth and the grief of his wife’s death in a short period of time; this loss, he claims, was the result of medical malpractice

The man filed a wrongful death lawsuit in response to his wife’s death, naming nine physicians, the hospital where the woman received treatment and the hospital’s parent company as defendants. The lawsuit accuses the defendants of negligence during and after the birth of his now 3-year-old son in Oct. 2015 that led to his wife’s death. Because the woman was experiencing preeclampsia, she was induced at 35 weeks; her son was ultimately delivered by cesarean section.

Her husband claims that despite what seemed to be serious complications during the delivery — including his wife experiencing temporary blindness — she was taken to a regular recovery room afterward. He claims that after leaving the hospital to retrieve some items for his wife, he returned to find her with a breathing mask, coughing up fluid. She coded soon afterward and was pronounced dead. A representative for the man claims that large amounts of intravenous fluids were administered during the delivery and a nurse failed to inform doctors that the fluids were seeping into her lungs; the hospital claims that the woman died as a result of a heart attack caused by a preexisting condition, and there was nothing they could have done to prevent it. 

A jury recently ruled in favor of the man and his son, though an appeal of the decision is anticipated. Unfortunately, there are many families in Ohio who have experienced a loss due to medical malpractice. These people, however, may be unaware of their legal options. Often, a successfully presented lawsuit can help surviving family members cope with the financial fallout of their loss and also prevent others from suffering similarly.

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