Medical Malpractice Cases

Medical malpractice can have devastating effects on individuals and families.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of medical malpractice, the Becker Law Office wants to speak with you. Our staff of qualified personal injury attorneys will be happy to provide you a free initial case evaluation.

Contact the Becker Law Office today by using the form below. We will respond to you within one business day.

$2.5 Million Award - Failure to Diagnose Ectopic Pregnancy Results in Record Verdict

A young woman was nine weeks pregnant when she began to have severe lower abdominal pain and became so light-headed, she almost passed out. Her husband called an ambulance. When the ambulance arrived, one of the EMT's examined her and wrote in his report, "Rule out ectopic pregnancy." They took her to the emergency room, where she was examined by an emergency room physician. She was put in a room, where she stayed for six and a half hours. During this time, a urinalysis was done, but no blood test. The urinalysis confirmed that she was pregnant and also showed that her white cell count was high and there was bacteria in her urine. The emergency room diagnosed a urinary tract infection and sent her home on an antibiotic and Tylenol #3, a narcotic pain reliever.

When she got home her husband put her in bed. She continued to bitterly complain of pain, but when her husband called the emergency room, the nurse told him the pain medication had not had enough time to work. She slept for awhile, but when she woke up, her pain was even worse. Finally, she passed out. Her husband called the ambulance again, but by the time it got there, her abdomen had already started to swell. By the time she arrived at the hospital, she was brain dead. She lingered in a coma for two weeks before she died. The cause of death: ruptured ectopic pregnancy.

We took the husband's case to trial, where we proved that a reasonably prudent emergency room physician would have ordered a blood test and would have done an ultrasound to rule out an ectopic pregnancy. An ultrasound was an easy, available test that would have shown the ectopic pregnancy and would have saved the young woman's life. After all the proof, the jury awarded her estate $2,500,000 against the hospital and the emergency room doctor. This was the largest verdict ever awarded in that county.

A Powell County woman has been awarded more than $1.3 million in damages from a Clark Regional Medical Center doctor who allowed her cancer to go undetected.

A Clark Circuit Court jury awarded Linda Carol Abney $1,334,636 from Dr. Dusik Shin, a radiologist who works as a contract physician for the hospital. She testified that Dr. Shin misread a report that indicated she had cancer in 1995. She alleged that had the cancer been caught earlier, she would have required a less-intensive treatment.The jury, which deliberated close to eight hours, came back with a near-unanimous vote. Only one juror did not agree; 11 others found Dr. Shin "failed to comply with duty imposed on him," according to Circuit Court records.

Ms. Abney was awarded $39,478 in medical expenses; $30,000 in future medical expenses; $15,158 in lost wages; $250,000 in lost future wages; $500,000 in pain and suffering, and $500,000 in future pain and suffering. The five-day trial had several professionals testify that Dr. Shin's negligence caused Ms. Abney's cancer to continue to spread.

By CATHY GILKEY
Winchester Sun Staff Writer

Becker Law Office Wins Major Settlement for Man Injured by Improperly Installed Pacemaker

A 60 year old Indiana man underwent heart bypass surgery. Two and a half days later, he developed severe stomach pains. A surgeon discovered that the wires from the man's new pacemaker had penetrated his colon. This caused a severe infection, required a colostomy and a much longer recovery. Another operation was required nine months later to reverse the colostomy. Over a period of two years, our client went through two additional rounds of surgery to correct the problems brought on by the first operation.

After reviewing the facts of this case, we concluded that the surgeon installing the pacemaker was directly responsible for the many side effects suffered by our client. We presented the facts to a well known heart surgeon, and he agreed. Armed with this information, we sought compensation from the initial surgeon for malpractice. Based on our efforts, our client received a settlement of $400,000 to cover medical expenses as well as pain and suffering.

$650,000 Settlement Goes to Medical Malpractice Victim

During surgery for the repair of an inguinal hernia, a surgeon found gallstones in his patient. He removed the woman's gallbladder without getting permission. After the surgery, there was internal bleeding , and the woman went into cardiac arrest and nearly died. Two more surgeries were done to find that the source of the bleeding was a ruptured spleen.

The woman suffered serious injuries because of the surgeon's negligence. The cardiac arrest cost her permanent short-term memory loss. Also due to her long hospital stay, the woman got ulcers on her head and back. The woman and her husband came to the Becker Law Office for help with their case.

After reviewing her case, we presented the facts to a medical review panel. The panel agreed that the surgeon deviated from accepted standards of care in this case. Based on our efforts, our client received $100,000 from the surgeon's insurer and $550,000 from the Indiana patients' compensation fund. This settlement will help our client cope with the long-term effects of her injury. It also served as a reminder to the physicians that they need to obtain permission before doing any surgery.

Dentist Overstates Qualifications

A retired veterinarian and cancer survivor went to the dentist for an abscessed tooth. The vet advised the dentist that he had received radiation treatment in overcoming his cancer and asked the dentist if he was qualified to take appropriate precautions in case the tooth needed to be removed. The dentist misrepresented his skills. The negligent treatment caused the vet to lose half of his jawbone and most of his teeth. The Becker Law Office obtained $650,000.00 from the Indiana Patient Compensation Fund as well as a recovery from the negligent dentist.

If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of medical malpractice, please contact the Becker Law Office at 1-888-4BECKER for a free consultation, or send us an E-mail from our “Contact Us” page. We can help, and we want to help.