In our last post, we talked about medical malpractice and the serious nature of this form of negligence. People count on their doctors and medical professionals to treat them with the utmost care, and in the absence of that, people can suffer horrible medical effects or even lose their lives. Today we have an extreme and unfortunate example of that.
A woman who gave birth to her first child died days after childbirth due to a misdiagnosis. According to a lawsuit filed by her husband and family, the 30-year-old woman gave birth and was cleared to leave the hospital the next day. But she started feeling nauseous and had a headache, so she soon returned to the hospital’s emergency room. Once there, a nurse practitioner diagnosed the woman with a urinary tract infection and sent her home.
In actuality, she had sepsis, an extremely dangerous blood infection that can cause fatal inflammation and complications within the body. And unfortunately, this is what happened to this first-time mother. She died of complications due to sepsis.
The lawsuit filed by the woman’s husband and her family was recently completed, and the result of the lawsuit earned the plaintiffs $20 million, which is the new record for a medical malpractice award in the state of Minnesota.
Medical malpractice can have life-changing – and, as this story sadly shows, life-ending – consequences. A misdiagnosis can lead to someone’s death, and the doctors or medical professionals responsible for such a misdiagnosis should be held accountable.
Source: Star Tribune, “Twin Cities jury awards $20M in malpractice case for woman who died after giving birth,” Paul Walsh, Aug. 29, 2017
Gayle Gerling Pettinga
Born and raised in Evansville, Gayle is a respected, experienced lawyer and a valued community leader. She graduated near the top of her class at Indiana University’s prestigious Maurer School of Law. She’s practiced law with one of the largest firms in Indianapolis as well as one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. And that means she knows how big law firms and big companies think and how they operate – and she will put that knowledge to work for you.
Gayle has received numerous awards and honors including Martindale-Hubbell — Peer Review Rated: AV®, American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys 10 Best Attorneys in Indiana for Exceptional and Outstanding Client Service, and YWCA Evansville 100 Years, 100 Women Honoree, 2011.
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