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Posted On: September 27, 2010

Maryland Mental Hospital Patient Charged with Murder of Fellow Patient

Maryland State Police have charged El Soudani El-Wahhabi, also called Saladin Taylor, with first- and second-degree murder. El-Wahhabi, who is a patient at the at the Clifton T. Perkins mental hospital, is accused of killing Susan Sachs, who was also a resident at the Jessup facility.

According to the Washington Post, Sachs’ dead body was discovered on Sunday morning by her roommate. There was string around the 45-year-old woman’s neck. State investigators later arrested El-Wahhabi, who authorities say admitted to strangling and kissing Sachs.

Sachs had been suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. She and El-Wahhabi lived in separate rooms in the same hallway in a medium-security wing of the hospital.

This is not the first violent crime allegedly involving El-Wahhabi. In 1993, El-Wahhabi was released on parole after serving time for assaulting a patient during an earlier stay at the Jessup mental hospital. He was charged in 1995 with the murder of Mona Johnson. Part of his tongue was discovered at the crime scene. According to the Baltimore Sun, a judge found him unfit to stand trial on sexual assault charges involving his sister-in-law as the alleged victim.

Maryland nursing homes, hospitals, and other facilities where patients reside are responsible for protecting them from nursing abuse, nursing neglect, and violent assailants. This means hiring qualified workers that don’t have a criminal background and also making sure that if there are potentially dangerous residents staying at the facility, that steps are taken to protect the other patients from becoming the victims of sexual assault, assault and battery, rape, molestation, or murder. Failure to protect patients from violent crimes can be grounds for a lawsuit seeking damages for Maryland personal injury or wrongful death.

If you or someone you love was injured or killed while staying at a Maryland nursing home or hospital, contact our Baltimore nursing home abuse and negligence law firm today.

State mental hospital patient accused of killing another patient, The Baltimore Sun, September 27, 2010

Patient at Maryland mental hospital was strangled, police say, The Washington Post, September 27, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center, US News & World Report

Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center, Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog

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Posted In: Nursing Home Abuse and Negligence , Premises Liability

Posted On: September 24, 2010

Maryland Upholds Non-Economic Damages Cap in Anne Arundel County Wrongful Death of Boy Who Drowned

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The Court of Appeals has upheld a state law that limits how much plaintiffs can receive for pain and suffering. They issued their decision regarding Maryland’s damages cap in the Anne Arundel County wrongful death case involving Connor Freed, the 5-year-old boy who drowned in a swimming pool at the Crofton Country Club in 2006.

A jury had awarded Connor Freed’s parents, Thomas Freed and Debbie Neagle-Freed, about $4 million against DRD Pool Service Inc., the company that provided lifeguards to the pool. However, because of Maryland’s cap on non-economic damages, the payment was reduced to about $1 million. The Freeds then filed a claim contending that the cap was unconstitutional since it does not give equal protection to all people.

In its ruling, Maryland’s highest court said that the cap’s existence has a legitimate purpose as it keeps liability insurance affordable. The court did, however, side with the Freeds regarding their claim that the original jury should have been given the opportunity to consider additional damages for their son’s conscious pain and suffering prior to his death.

In June 2006, Connor was found floating face down in the country club pool. There was a lifeguard on duty at the time. There were also defibrillators available. However, the lifeguard was not trained to use one. In their Anne Arundel County drowning death complaint, the Freeds had argued that not only was the pool insufficiently staffed but also, the lifeguards were improperly trained.

Maryland Damages Cap Survives in Horrific Drowning Case, Forbes, September 24, 2010

Family Sues Country Club Where 5 Yr. Old Drowned, WJZ, July 20, 2010

Md. court upholds state cap on lawsuit payouts, Washington Examiner, September 24, 2010

In Maryland, Accidental Drowning Of Anne Arundel County 5-Year Old Renews Calls For Greater Pool Safety, Marylandaccidentlawblog.com, October 13, 2006

Related Web Resources:
Maryland State Law Library

DRD Pool Service Inc.

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Posted In: Maryland Legislation , Premises Liability , Wrongful Death

Posted On: September 22, 2010

Baltimore Medical Malpractice Lawsuit for Gallbladder Surgery Injuries Results in $1.1M Award

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A jury has awarded a 79-year-old woman a $1.1 million Baltimore medical malpractice verdict over injuries she sustained while undergoing gallbladder surgery. In her Maryland medical malpractice lawsuit, Phyllis Rode accused Dr. Chiau-Wen Hsiao of cutting her hepatic duct while taking her gallbladder out. Hsiao is a general surgeon at Franklin Square Hospital.

Rode says that because her bile duct was severed, she had to undergo more surgeries. Also, not only did she spend 10 days in intensive care, but also, she had to wear tubes to drain the ducts for 10 months.

Hsiao had argued that a severed duct is a known complication that can result from a gallbladder procedure. He argued that Rode had given her consent. However, Rhode’s Maryland malpractice lawyers claimed that consent doesn’t matter when a physician fails to provide a patient with at least standard of care.

The jury awarded Rode $106,000 for medical bills and $1 million for pain and suffering. The Maryland damage cap limits the noneconomic damages that Rode can receive to $665,000.

Bile Duct Injuries
Punctured or severed bile ducts during gallbladder surgery is a leading cause of medical malpractice lawsuits. There are steps that doctors can take to reduce the chances that a patient will sustain a severed duct during the procedure. According to USLaw.com, out of the 75,000 gallbladder surgeries conducted each year, approximately 1 out of every 200 patients will likely develop a bile duct injury. Compared to traditional surgery, the modern laparoscopic surgery procedure can cause up to ten times as many bile duct injuries.

Some other complications that can result during a gallbladder procedure:
• Infection
• Abscess
• Bile leakage
• Cholangitis
• Ongoing pain
• Digestive difficulties
• Jaundice
• Death

Gallbladder Surgery Malpractice Lawsuit Results in $1.1M Jury Award, Zimbio, September 14, 2010

Gallbladder Surgery Errors Damage Bile Duct, USLaw

Related Web Resources:
Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons

Diagram of Human Stomach and Gallbladder, InnerBody.com

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Posted In: Medical Malpractice

Posted On: September 18, 2010

John Hopkins Shooting Claims Two Lives and Injures One in Baltimore, Maryland

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At John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore on Thursday morning, a gunman who became distraught about his mother’s medical care shot and injured a doctor before turning the gun on his mom and himself. Paul Warren Pardus the alleged shooter, and his mother Jean did not survive their injuries.

According to police, Pardus, 50, shot orthopedic physician David Cohen in his upper abdomen and chest. Cohen, who specializes in scoliosis, scoliosis, and osteoporosis, had to undergo surgery and is expected to make a full recovery.

A little over two hours after Cohen was shot, a SWAT team determined that Pardus, who was in his mother’s hospital room, had fallen to the ground. When they entered the room, they saw that both he and his mom were dead from gunshot wounds to the head.

Security at John Hopkins
According to Harry Koffenberger, the hospital’s vice president of security, people are not required to go through metal detectors to enter the facility. Yet one hospital worker says staffers have long expressed worry about potential "retribution situations.”

Some 80,000 visitors and patients frequent John Hopkins Hospital, which has dozens of entrances/exits, on a weekly basis. There are also over 400 unarmed security officers on duty at the East Baltimore campus. Over 150 armed, off-duty cops are available to deal with emergency scenarios.

Baltimore Personal Injury
Employees injured on the job generally cannot sue their employer for Baltimore personal injury. They are, however, entitled to Maryland workers’ compensation benefits from their employer’s insurer. They also may be able to sue responsible third parties that are not their employer for Maryland personal injury. For example, if a worker is the victim of a violent crime while on the job, then he/she may have grounds to file a Baltimore injury complaint against the assailant. There also may be reason to file a case against the security company if it was negligent in providing security on the work premise.

Experts: No need for metal detectors at Hopkins, The Baltimore Sun, September 17, 2010

Va. man kills mother, self at Hopkins hospital, Washington Examiner, September 16, 2010

Johns Hopkins Hospital: Gunman Shoots Doctor, Then Kills Self and Mother, ABC News, September 16, 2010

Related Web Resources:
John Hopkins Medicine

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Posted In: Workers' Compensation

Posted On: September 15, 2010

NHTSA Reports 547 Maryland Traffic Fatalities and 29 Washington DC Motor Vehicle Crash Deaths in 2009

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently issued its 2009 Traffic Safety Facts Research Note, which includes its motor vehicle traffic crash statistics for the year. According to the NHTSA, 33,808 people were killed in auto collisions in the US, which was a 9.7% drop from the 37,423 people that died in traffic crashes in 2008. This is the lowest number of US highway deaths to occur in a year since 1950.

The drop in traffic deaths happened even as estimated vehicle miles traveled went up by 0.2% in the past two years. NHTSA also says that the lowest injury and fatality rates at 1.13 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled occurred last year.

Locally, our Maryland motor vehicle crash lawyers and Washington DC car accident attorneys are happy to report that there also was a decline in the number of traffic deaths for the year. There were 549 Maryland traffic fatalities last year—down from the 591 motor vehicle deaths in 2008 and 29 Washington DC auto crash deaths in 2009—a drop from the 34 Washington DC motor vehicle traffic deaths the year before.

The nation also saw a reverse in the yearly increase in motorcyclist deaths, which has been on the rise for 11 years. In 2009, there were 4.462 US motorcyclist fatalities. Compare that to 2008 when there were 5,312 motorcyclist deaths.

More 2009 US Traffic Facts:
• 23,382 passenger vehicle deaths
• 503 large truck crash fatalities
• 4,092 pedestrian accident deaths
• 630 pedalcyclist crash fatalities
• 2,217,000 traffic crash injuries
• 1,976,0000 passenger vehicle injuries
• 17,000 large truck injuries
• 90,000 motorcyclist injuries
• 59,000 pedestrian injuries
• 51,000 pedalcyclist injuries
• 10,839 drunk driving deaths
• 162 Maryland drunk driving deaths
• 10 Washington DC drunk driving deaths

Highlights of 2009 Motor Vehicle Crashes, Traffic Safety Facts (PDF)

2009 Data Show Major Across-the-Board Declines in all Categories
Despite a Slight Increase in Road Travel, NHTSA, November 9, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Maryland Department of Transportation

District Department of Transportation

Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Maryland Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog

Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog

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Posted In: Bicycle Accidents , Car Accidents , Pedestrian Accident , SUV Accidents , Truck Accidents

Posted On: September 7, 2010

Maryland Medical Malpractice?: State’s Board of Physicians Orders Three Doctor to Stop Practicing Medicine

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The Maryland Board of Physicians has ordered Dr. Steven Brigham, Dr. Nicola Riley, and George Shepard Jr. to stop practicing medicine in the state. The order comes following a botched abortion last month that left an 18-year-old with a uterine perforation.

The abortion was performed at a facility in Elkton, Maryland after the patient first went to see Brigham in New Jersey. She was reportedly given medication to induce contractions and ordered to drive 60 miles to the Maryland medical clinic.

This is not the first time that Brigham, who doesn’t even have a medical license in Maryland, has been ordered to stop practicing medicine in a state. His Pennsylvania medical license was revoked in the early 1990’s following an investigation into one of his clinics. In 1994, he was barred from practicing medicine in New York. In 1996, Florida also revoked his medical license.

As for Riley, the state physicians’ board suspended her medical license after determining that she was a “threat” to patient safety and a “danger to the public.” Shephard is accused of ordering medications for the AWS facilities in Maryland and participating in the arrangement of abortion procedures begun in one state and completed in another.

Maryland Abortion Malpractice
Botched abortion procedures can result in serious injuries or death and may be grounds for a Maryland medical malpractice case. Examples of abortion-related complications:

• Hemorrhage
• Cervical lacerations
• Uterine perforations
• Sterility
• Pelvic inflammatory disease
• Increased risk of cancer

Maryland officials order Dr. Steven Brigham to halt abortions, Lehighvalleylive.com, September 5, 2010

Abortion doctor licensed in N.J. is ordered to stop practicing in Md. after patient is critically injured, AP/NJ.com, September 4, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Medical Malpractice Basics, Nolo

Maryland Board of Physicians

Continue reading " Maryland Medical Malpractice?: State’s Board of Physicians Orders Three Doctor to Stop Practicing Medicine " »

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Posted In: Medical Malpractice

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