Legal news reports that a northern California hospital has agreed to a $3.8 million medical malpractice settlement. According to reports, the medical negligence lawsuit was filed after a woman fell into a coma in 2015. She suffered a cardiac arrest in the emergency room of Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital shortly after being discharged from their care.
Medical malpractice/medical negligence refers to instances of conduct by a health care professional, such as a doctor, nurse or other health care provider, that falls below the expected standard of care for that position, and results in harm to the patient.
A medical malpractice lawsuit may be filed to recover damages, including lost wages and the cost of past and future medical care.
In this instance, the family asserts that the 33-year-old woman arrived in the emergency room with complaints of labored breathing. She had a history of kidney failure and diabetes. These signs are indicative of potential heart failure. However, despite these signs, the woman’s symptoms were ignored, the complaint alleges. Instead of providing treatment to the indigent patient, she was given a narcotic and sent home. The family asserted that the hospital failed to follow its own policies and procedures in discharging the patient, asserting they failed to treat her due to a lack of insurance.
The hospital disagreed, but settled the matter with the surviving family members, including a husband and three children.
For more information, or if you believe you or a loved one has not received the care you deserve, please contact the dedicated Los Angeles medical malpractice attorneys at Bostwick & Peterson, LLP for an immediate consultation.