SUNY Surgeons Were Fired After Blowing the Whistle on Medical Malpractice
SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, NYC, came under fire when two top transplant surgeons blew the whistle on medical malpractice, lack of patient care, and understaffing at the hospital’s cardiothoracic surgery department and cardiothoracic intensive care units and were subsequently fired.
NYC Man Paralyzed After Spending Two Hours Untreated in Lincoln Hospital ER
A Lincoln Hospital patient was left paralyzed after having to wait two hours in the ER before receiving treatment. In Sep. 2014, Anthony Medlin was brought into the hospital by ambulance and was wrongfully declared low risk by the staff. His condition was labeled as a minor facial injury, but it was far more severe in reality.
Medlin was examined by a physician after his two-hour wait and was immediately taken for surgery. But by the time the surgery was done, he was irreversibly paralyzed from the waist down.
What Damages You can Claim in a Wrongful Death Case in NY?
The death of a loved one is always an overwhelmingly painful experience. However, it can become even more difficult to deal with the loss if the death has been caused due to the wrongdoing or negligence of another person. In such situations, it is possible for the victim’s family to file a wrongful death case to recover damages from the party who was responsible for causing the death.
NYC Woman Commits Suicide Due to Hospital Staff’s Negligence
A woman committed suicide in NYC by jumping off a Midtown hotel in 2018 because she wasn’t provided adequate care by a city hospital. Jiawen Liu, a young Brooklyn resident, was found dead on the Wolcott Hotel’s second-story balcony after being discharged from the Bellevue Hospital just a few hours earlier.
According to NY Post, Liu had been brought to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation after showing suspicious behavior and was allegedly discharged prematurely, leading to the eventual suicide. Her family has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the hospital. Liu died because of the city hospital staff’s negligence and carelessness, the lawsuit filed in the Manhattan Supreme Court alleges.
The Four Most Common Medical Malpractices in NYC
When health care providers commit medical malpractice, it means they deviated from fulfilling their duty of properly treating and caring for their patients. Medical negligence could leave the patient with significant injuries or severe complications and even lead to the patient’s death. The resulting emotional and financial strain on the victims’ families often results in the filing of big medical malpractice lawsuits.
Medical negligence is the third leading cause of deaths in the US, with around 250,000 patients dying from medical errors every year. New York City is among the top US cities where medical malpractice cases are rampant. NYC resolved 13,712 cases of medical malpractice in 2019 for a payout of $975.0 million. In 2018, the city paid $1.1 billion in medical negligence compensation against 14,390 lawsuits.
Findings Reveal Shocking Number of Wrongful Deaths in NYC Hospitals
Recent findings have revealed a horrifying truth about the standard of healthcare in New York City hospitals. During the last five years, 468 people died in the city’s 11 public hospitals due to medical malpractice and negligence.
How a Mother Won $1 Million in Medical Malpractice Lawsuit
Lucia Ferreira, 24, won $1 million in a medical malpractice lawsuit against a Brooklyn hospital in 2006 for her first child’s death during delivery in 1997. Ferreira and her husband were excitedly awaiting the birth of their first child – a daughter. She was seven months pregnant when she went into rapid labor at home on July 1, 1997.
Unfortunately, complications arose as the baby ended up in a footling breech position, with her head stuck in the birth canal. The baby asphyxiated as she was receiving no blood or oxygen through the umbilical cord and was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
Bronx Woman Won $110 Million Medical Malpractice Lawsuit
A Bronx woman was awarded $110 million in 2019 against her medical malpractice lawsuit against the St. Barnabas Hospital. Keimoneia Redish sued the hospital and several of its doctors for mishandling her asthma attack in Dec. 2010, according to the NY Daily News.
The 48-year-old grandmother was left hospitalized and confined to a nursing home for almost a year after the Hospital’s doctors mishandled her asthma attack, triggering a severe brain injury. She ended up with speech and motor defects, leaving her crippled and suffering for life.
Wrongful Death of Edward Beloyianis and the $10,900,000 Settlement
A Bronx man was left paralyzed following spinal surgery at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital (Columbia University Irving Medical Center) in 2002. Fourteen-year-old Edward Beloyianis visited the hospital for an operation to treat his scoliosis, a medical condition whereby the spine takes the shape of an S-like curve. The surgery left Beloyianis paralyzed for life. He died eight years after the surgery, according to the NY Times. His parents filed a medical malpractice lawsuit and the jury awarded $10,900,000 as compensation for their son’s death.
According to the medical malpractice attorney representing the Beloyianis’ family, the spinal surgery at the Manhattan hospital had left the victim paralyzed from the waist down. Investigations found that the surgical screws were misplaced and were pressing against the spinal cord- the primary reason for the paralysis.
Woman Died in NYC Hospital During C-Section
A Brooklyn woman died while giving birth at the Woodhull Medical Center on July 3, 2020. Shaasia Washington, 26, visited the medical center for a routine stress test. At the same time, she was pregnant and past her due date by a few days.
According to the Insider report, the Latino woman had abnormally high blood pressure while at the hospital. The staff decided to keep her under observation and induce childbirth with the help of Pitocin, a drug used to stimulate uterine contractions. The medical staff reportedly asked Shaasia if she wanted an epidural, to which she hesitatingly agreed.