A medical malpractice case last year left a a Columbia Air Force veteran dead after seeking help at the Dorn Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Columbia, South Carolina. The Dorn Veterans Affairs Medical Center serves about 83,000 veterans each year.
The veteran died after receiving a wrongful injection and multiple doses of misdiagnosed medication. The federal government agreed to pay $800,000 to relatives of the 64-year-old veteran and the settlement was approved by U.S. District Court Judge Michelle Childs. Since the case received a settlement, it did not go to court. This means that the family did not have to endure the gruesome and emotionally painful details of what really happened to cause the death. Since the medical negligence case did not go to court, that means the family did not have to hear the autopsy and toxicology reports. If they did decide to take the case to court, a Georgia pharmacist expert was ready to testify, as he clearly could point out the negligence that occurred.
The lawsuit stated, ““The medication error caused [the veteran] to develop pulmonary toxicity, which led to acute respiratory distress syndrome or severe acute lung injury.” This all followed the patient entering the hospital with complaints of nausea and vomiting. After receiving multiple doses of the incorrect medication, his health quickly declined; resulting in his death.
Whenever an unexpected death occurs to a seemingly healthy person, it is important to ask the right questions. Often the pain and trauma of losing a loved one causes us to lose sight of the potential fault of the accident. When a doctor or other healthcare provider fails to provide sufficient care, or standard of care, they need to be reprimanded as it’s their duty to care for the well-being of others to the best of their ability. If you believe a loved one is suffering or dead due to medical malpractice or negligence, seek the help of a professional attorney to get to the bottom of your case.
You may have a medical malpractice or negligence case if your or a loved one receives a:
- Misdiagnoses
- Failure to diagnose
- Foreign object being left inside the patient’s body
- Improper care prior to surgery or treatment
- Improper or insufficient follow-up treatment or recovery treatment
- Incorrect surgery
- Failure to treat or guide recovery process
- And more
If you ever find yourself or a family member in the case of qualifying for a medical malpractice case, call in for a free consultation. Our group of attorneys are here to protect you and your family. They want you to receive the compensation and care that you deserve. Contact Buckingham & Vega for the best possible representation.