Medical negligence patient files claim
It has been revealed that a 19-year-old and his parents have launched a medical negligence claim.
The lawsuit arrives after the claimant alleges he lost his legs due to a string of clinical blunders and stating that medics did not treat a case of flesh-eating bacteria quickly enough.
The patient and his lawyer have therefore filed negligence suits against more than 20 parties. They argue that the hospital staff failed to promptly diagnose necrotizing fasciitis, a rare strep infection that can spread under the skin, forcing the amputation of the victim’s legs.
Leg trauma
The 19-year-old school rower’s horror began when he visited the hospital complaining of leg pains. Four days after arriving at the service, he was left fighting for his life on –life-support.
To Gerry Leeseberg, injury lawyer for the family, this provides enough support of medical negligence: “To our view, he was abandoned essentially for a long period of time [...] when he wasn’t being seen by a doctor before a diagnosis was made.
“They were operating under the assumption that he had a hematoma, which is nothing more than a bruise. And yet there was no history whatsoever that [he] had suffered any kind of a traumatic injury.”
The patient survived more than a dozen surgeries. Leeseberg believes that clinical mistakes have taken place because the staff failed to make a swift diagnosis and medical professionals failed to do their job. He revealed that the victim’s mother even asked the doctors to consider necrotizing fasciitis as the cause of problem.
Leeseberg commented: “She personally asked a physician whether or not [he] might have necrotizing fasciitis, and the doctor told her ‘no’ - that he didn’t think that was the problem.
“We’ve had emergency room specialists, we’ve had orthopedic specialists, we’ve had infectious disease specialists from the best institutions around the country look at this case and tell us, in their opinion, they think that this could have been and should have been prevented.”
Leeseberg said the family will seek compensation to cover future costs for medical care, rehabilitation services, handicapped-accessible living, and the loss of future income for their son.
The hospital denied the allegations in an answer filed this week in the Court of Claims. Mark Hopkins, a spokesman for the health group, said he had not read the complaint.
However, he issued a statement saying the hospital system cannot discuss the specifics of the case. It concluded,
“Our thoughts and prayers are with [the victim] and his family, and we hope for his continued progress and recovery.”
Lesesberg concluded: “The [family]are focused on returning their son to a normal living situation. They have added a handicap-accessible addition to their home; he is attending rehab.”
Updated on 1/12/2010