When a child is ill, parents seek out a medical professional to treat them. Much trust is put in a medical staff, and anyone who treats a patient is liable for anything that is done to the patient while they are in their care. When negligence occurs in the course of treatment, the patient could suffer worse ailments or even death. When this occurs, the affected patient or the loved ones of the deceased patient could file a medical malpractice claim.
A couple was recently awarded a medical malpractice claim that resulted in a $1.72 million award. The claim followed the death of the couple’s two-year-old daughter. The malpractice suit claimed that the doctor at the hospital failed to diagnosis their daughter with bacterial meningitis. This failure resulted in their young child dying due to respiratory failure.
According to the court records, the child had a high temperature and was brought to the emergency room. She was diagnosed with an ear infection and discharged three days later. The same day, the couple took their daughter to a different hospital where she was tested positive for a bacterial infection and a few weeks later the two-year old was transferred to a children’s hospital where she remained for about a month. Their daughter suffered and died from a respiratory failure about seven months later.
A medical malpractice suit seeks to compensate for any losses that occurred from medical negligence. In this case, the couple received an award that covered future lost earnings and pain and suffering. Medical malpractice claims can also cover medical expenses, funeral costs and other damages.
Much trust is put into the medical field, especially when it is an ill child and the parents are unable to heal them on their own. When a loved one dies because of medical negligence it can be very emotional and life altering. Compensation can help reduce financial burdens and help with the coping process.
Source: Reading Eagle, “Couple awarded $1.72 million in malpractice case against Reading Hospital,” Holly Herman, June 18, 2013