He was experiencing lower back pain, so he went to a pain care clinic. There he was administered a steroid through an epidural injection. The lump that developed as a result apparently wasn’t a major concern to his doctors.
The man was given a second injection, after which he was diagnosed with meningitis and a neurological condition. These medical problems left the man sexually impotent. He suffered constant back pain. He suffered leg pain. His bowels didn’t function properly.
In addition to all of these ongoing physical ailments, the man suffered from bipolar disorder. According to a lawsuit filed on his behalf, the man’s medical problems, which resulted from the negligence of medical professionals, became overwhelming and led to his suicide.
The ensuing wrongful death case went to trial. The jury spent more than two days considering the arguments from both sides, and in the end, the jury decided that the plaintiffs should be awarded $2.88 million in compensation.
The outcome of this tragic case raises the question: how can one possibly assign a monetary figure to a person’s life? Additionally, how can a medical professional’s responsibility to ensure a patient’s safety be measured in dollars and cents?
The pain resulting from medical negligence can be immense, and the devastation of losing a loved one can never be fully accounted for through legal action. Still, injured patients and grieving families have a right to seek justice. To learn more about medical negligence and how to fight it, please visit our medical malpractice website.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal, “KC firm wins $2.88M verdict in JoCo medical malpractice case,” Brianne Pfannensteil, March 21, 2014
