Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center agreed to a $1.25 million dollar settlement last week to compensate the family of a Cleveland, Ohio, man left with a brain injury after an apparent hospital error. The suit was filed in 2010 by the victim’s mother, who asserted in her suit that her son received improper medical care during surgery for testicular cancer. She claimed that various hospital errors led to cardiac failure and hemorrhage for her son, and the result of these complications left the victim in a vegetative state.
The total settlement amount will not be paid immediately. Instead, the hospital agreed to pay the family in stages, with a lump sum given to the victim’s family immediately and payments made on balance through an established trust. Hospital representatives and members of the victim’s family didn’t comment on the settlement, but the Ohio Attorney General’s office issued a statement that praised the resolution as “fair and just.” According to a medical center spokesman, this is not the largest single settlement in the center’s history.
Hospital mistakes surrounding surgery are not uncommon but rarely have consequences this serious. When they do, it is important that family members have a professional legal representative to protect their interests. Without the help of a personal injury lawyer, many family members would not receive compensation for the loss of their loved one or, as in this case, for the life-changing results of apparent hospital malpractice.
Source: The Columbus Dispatch, “OSU hospital pays $1.25 million settlement,” Ben Sutherly, Aug. 22, 2012