The Ohio Supreme Court recently ruled that a doctor was not immune from being sued simply because a medical student was observing on the day of the alleged malpractice. The lower court ruled against Dr. Marek Skoskiewicz, who argued that he was acting as an “arm of the state” because a medical student from a public school, University of Toledo College of Medicine, was present in the room. Medical malpractice attorneys say that Skoskiewicz is a private doctor who was performing surgery in a private hospital, Henry County Hospital, on a private patient, Larry Engel, Jr.
Supreme Court Says Doctor can not Hide Simply Because he was a Volunteer
Justice Paul Pfeifer wrote in his opinion, “Dr. Skoskiewicz and many other volunteer clinical faculty in Ohio provide an important service. But that service, however commendable, does not transform the volunteers behind it into an arm of the state.” Lawyers believe that this ruling ensures that the medical school is not legally liable for the doctor’s medical negligence. There was no contract of employment between the doctor and the school and medical malpractice attorneys say that this program simply allowed students to rotate through one-month clerk-ships. It is very important that young men and women entering the medical field get an opportunity to train with and study under doctors who have been in the operating room for a number of years. However, the doctor was still in control of the procedure and he was still the one who in the end was responsible for the medical malpractice injury to Mr. Engel. Doctors who commit malpractice should not be able to hide behind a medical school merely because students are sitting in on an operation.
Medical Malpractice Attorneys in New Jersey and Philadelphia
If you or a family member has 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.
Stage IV bed sores are horrifying wounds that cause incredible damage to the health of a person. If you or your loved one has a Stage IV bed sore that is currently not being treated, it needs to be treated immediately for the health and safety of the patient. Unfortunately, Stage IV bed sores start off as Stage I bed sores, as discussed in previous blog posts, which are entirely preventable by attentive medical professionals.
Following a car accident, Wyoming Newman went to visit Dr. Chavis, a neurosurgeon. The woman had an initial MRI and attorneys say that she was then sent to Dr. Erwin Lo, who performed spinal surgery on Newman in early 2009. According to the plaintiff’s complaint, the doctor failed to interpret the MRI results properly and instead of following Chavis’ recommendations, he performed a corpectomy. That procedure involves the removal of a portion of the vertebral body. When Newman woke up, she had no feeling in her legs and her arms felt extremely weak. A woman who sought medical attention for a car accident years earlier was left a quadriplegic about two years later. Newman is a tragic victim whose life will be forever changed due to medical negligence. Professionals say that these sorts of devastating cases occur far too often in operating rooms around the country. Although liability will be decided in a courtroom by a jury of these parties’ peers, Newman will not be able to walk out of that courtroom.
There are different reasons that children with certain birth defects may begin to develop speech problems. Professionals say that some of these problems are a direct result of the anatomical differences that are seen in people with cleft lip or cleft palate. On the other hand, attorneys say that it is also possible for children with birth defects to develop speech problems in different ways.
Stage III bed sores are incredibly serious and need immediate attention, as healing bed sores that progress past Stage II is extremely difficult. A stage III bed sore will display skin loss involving damage or death to the subcutaneous tissue that may extend to the connective tissue. The wound will look like a deep crater which is black around its edges. Subcutaneous fat may be visible, but bone, tendon, or muscle is not. There may be tunneling and undermining in the skin.
Those anecdotes you hear are often about some “frivolous” injury and a multi-million dollar award. Usually, these anecdotes are urban legends and are far from the truth. Juries are assigned with the task of fixing damages based on a number of factors, including the projected cost of continued medical care. When caps are utilized, medical malpractice lawyers can still win a judgment, but it is more likely that the judgment is not going to be enough to cover the victim’s medical costs. When the victim cannot pay their medical bills, the government will have to step in and help, help that is subsidized by taxpayers. Why should victims of medical malpractice and citizens have to bear the burden of “fixing the system” in favor of insurance companies and doctors?
In the early development of a fetus (the first three months of pregnancy), the lips and palate develop separately. Since the development is not simultaneous, babies may be born with only a cleft lip, a cleft palate, or in some cases both. When parts of the lip or palate do not completely come together, the orofacial problems begin to develop. There can also be many variations in the different types of clefts. A cleft can occur only on one side of the mouth, known as a unilateral cleft, or on both sides of the mouth, known as a bilateral cleft. Young girls are more likely to have a cleft palate that occurs alone. On the other hand, an oral cleft, regardless of whether it is lip or palate, is generally more common in boys.
