A settlement was reached between an Iowa woman and the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Medical malpractice attorneys settled Nancy Kammerer‘s case for $1.5 million, a figure reported by the Associated Press. The woman was in need of a kidney transplant which was to help save her life and allow her to resume daily activities as she had hoped. Fortunately, her husband was a match and was able to donate his kidney to help out his wife in need. However, the good fortune ended there. Following an enormous medical error, the woman was left severely diabetic.
Life Saving Procedure Further Endangers Woman
Nancy Kammerer, 56, of Urbandale, Iowa, alleged that her physicians mistakenly cut part of her pancreas while undertaking the transplant procedure in 2008. Her lawyers said that her pancreas needed to be removed after this mistake, leading Kammerer into a future of medical uncertainty. Kammerer was a special projects manager at Wells Fargo prior to her surgery, a position that she soon had to give up after the alleged medical negligence. Her medical malpractice attorneys said that Kammerer became an insulin dependent diabetic, which added further pain and medical troubles into her life. In her complaint, attorneys alleged that the error was due in part to an inaccurate medical record that was in her file. It is certainly an unfortunate situation, but they say that it is not uncommon. It is important for patients who have been victimized by medical negligence to seek legal advice in order to receive compensation for their potentially sky rocketing bills. Victims often have increased hospital bills, future medical expenses, and extreme pain and suffering, which occurs far too often.
Medical Malpractice Attorneys in New Jersey and Philadelphia
If you or a family member have recently been the victim of medical negligence, it is possible that you would like to speak with our professionals. Please contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation, or call for a free consultation at 856-833-0600 in New Jersey, or 215-567-2380 in Philadelphia.
Metzler’s medical malpractice attorney said that he had a colonoscopy in 2007 and a mere two years later he was told that he had hepatitis C. Metzeler is now seeking $20 million for himself, and $10 million for his wife due to loss of consortium. Three hospitals had allegedly failed to properly clean the medical equipment that was being used. The equipment was being rinsed after each patient but the proper method of cleaning would have been to sterilize the equipment with steam and chemicals. Medical malpractice attorneys say that it is quite clear that these procedures were done in an environment of inadequate training, lack of supervision, and inadequate communication. It is unclear how these cases will turn out at trial, with the Veterans’ Administration claiming that the chances that these vets contracted the diseases from this procedure are in some cases very small. As for Metzler, his medical malpractice attorney said “he feels terrible about it, he always took great care of himself. He ran, swam, ate healthy so he could have a good quality of life, and now he ends up with a serious health problem.”
Manganiello went into Bon Secours Community Hospital in Port Jervis, NY due to low sodium levels. Saline solution should have been infused into the woman slowly because this was a chronic condition. Sadly, this is not what happened. Medical malpractice attorneys say that saline solution was infused very rapidly, raising her sodium levels significantly in only fourteen hours. Following a trial that lasted nearly four weeks, the critical care physician, Dr. Moinuddin Ahmed was found to be sixty percent responsible, while Rose Aumick, the nurse, was found to be responsible for the remaining forty percent. Today, Manganiello lives in Milford, Pennsylvania at a supported living facility. Her family is only able to bring her home on weekends for visits but they hope in the future, thanks to the compensation from the verdict, that they will be able to bring her home permanently and she can receive a high level of care from home.
With both parties meeting with an honest and neutral party, the judge, it is easier to get a true hold on how the parties can meet in the middle, at a fair amount of damages. We believe this process will probably result in somewhat smaller awards for plaintiffs but it will be paid far earlier than waiting for a verdict. Trials can drag on for years and years, this process should allow the parties to reach an agreement after only months. This will allow plaintiffs to get money much sooner, which in many cases is necessary as bills begin to stack up. Michelle M. Mello, a Harvard professor, said that “ordinarily when the parties come to a settlement conference, it’s late in the game.” This will no longer be the case with the success of judge-directed negotiations. The approach has been limited to New York City courts thus far but it is expected to spread rapidly due to its apparent success.
Since the plaintiff is the party bringing the lawsuit, the patient, and his or her medical malpractice attorneys, bear the burden of proving all of the necessary elements of the case by a preponderance of evidence (also known as the “more likely than not” standard). There are four key elements involved in a medical malpractice lawsuit.
The patient went to the Mazzocco Ambulatory Surgical Center to have the lens on one of his eyes replaced with an artificial counterpart. The operation was categorized as standard and was only scheduled to last about two hours. The anesthesiologist assigned to the man reportedly had a history of walking out of the operating room while patients were under the effects of the potent drug. In the case that lead to the lawsuit, the patient was led into a deeper level of sedation than necessary.
The Duques brought their baby girl to Nebraska for a transplant after she was born with congenital defects. Almariah received a pancreas, liver, and small bowel transplant in late December of 2009. She was discharged from the hospital a few months later but quickly returned as she developed an infection.