Maryland Accident Law Blog
A jury has awarded Victoria Little a $3.5 million Harford County surgical malpractice verdict in her case against Vascular Surgery Associates and two surgeons. The 53-year-old woman claims that she was injured in 2007 when the doctors performed an improper grafting technique during her surgery to treat her blocked arteries.
According to Little’s Maryland medical malpractice lawyers, the doctors’ negligence and improper surgical technique caused her blood pressure to drop for a prolonged period of time, which deprived her organs and tissue of oxygen. She developed a spinal cord injury, lost 5,100 milliliters of blood, and is now a paraplegic. Little says that she still experiences constant pain.
The verdict awards Little $2 million for future medical costs, $1.3 million for noneconomic damages, and over $200,000 for past medical expenses. However, the state’s pain and suffering cap is $680,000.
Maryland Medical Malpractice
Patients injured as a result of medical mistakes have three years from when the injury was discovered or five years from when the mistake caused the injury to file their Maryland medical malpractice lawsuit against the responsible parties. If a patient dies as a result of medical negligence, then the victim’s dependents have three years to file their Maryland wrongful death complaint. If the claimant is younger than age 11, then the statute of limitations usually doesn’t begin running until the victim turns 11.
Surgical Malpractice
Maryland surgical malpractice occurs when a surgeon makes a mistake or doesn’t provide the patient with a standard level of care. Surgical mistakes can lead to catastrophic consequences. About 225,000 people in the US die every year from surgical malpractice.
Jury awards woman $3.5 million malpractice verdict, The Baltimore Sun, May 14, 2010
Belcamp woman suffered ‘devastating’ injuries, ExploreHarford.com, May 14, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Medical Malpractice and Surgical errors/complications, Wrong Diagnosis
Medical Malpractice Basics, Nolo
Aortobifemoral Bypass, HealthSquare.com