A previous post on this blog discussed a medical malpractice case which involved a young mother who had preeclampsia. The issue in that case was that the woman's caregivers advised her to forego a C-Section and go forward with a vaginal birth due to her condition.
Ultimately, the woman's child was born with cerebral palsy. The child's condition developed because the child did not have enough oxygen during the birth.
In a decision that is thought to be the largest medical malpractice verdict ever awarded to a plaintiff in this country, a jury in another state ordered doctors associated with a Johns Hopkins hospital to pay a mother and her daughter $229.6 million.
Although the laws of the state will likely reduce this award to closer to $200 million, it still sets the record for the largest medical malpractice verdict. For their part, the medical professionals continue to deny that they were negligent and say they plan to appeal this decision.
When you undergo medical treatment of any kind, you can reasonably expect your doctor and other licensed caregivers to act according to the highest level of accepted safety and treatment standards. For instance, if a doctor is going to physically examine you, he or she needs to wash his or her hands first. All doctors know this and are legally obligated to do it.
Never events are incidents where patients suffer injury or illness, and in worse cases, even death, because of medical negligence. Such incidents are preventable, which is what makes the aftermath of such situations so tragic. The more you know about the common errors that often lead to medical injury before heading to surgery or receiving treatment, the better. It's also good to know what your options are if a licensed medical worker is negligent in his or her duties, causing you to suffer physical, emotional or economic damages.
People in Kansas City probably know intuitively that working in the construction field is dangerous. Workers in this profession deal with heavy equipment, machinery and tools on a daily basis.
Moreover, they often have to work in dangerous locations, such as from the higher floors of a tall building or right along a highway.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, or NHTSA, recently announced that they are estimating when all is said and done, there will be 36,750 traffic-related fatalities over 2018. If this estimate holds, then it will be a 1% drop from 2017 and the second year in which the number dropped.
Moreover, the fatality rate per 100 million miles driven fell from 1.16 in 2017 to 1.14 in 2018. This figure accounts for the fact that the more people drive, the more likely it is that a fatal accident will happen.
The human eye is one of the most amazing and complicated parts of the body. Considering that it works very much like a highly sophisticated video camera that is connected to the brain, it is no wonder that it is a system of nerves and other organs that take a great deal of knowledge and expertise to understand.
Likewise, the eye is also fragile. One little mistake on the part of an eye doctor trying to treat a patient can have permanent and devastating consequences.
When people think of a semi-truck accident, they may think of a large truck smashing a smaller passenger car. However, collisions between two semi-trucks can also be deadly. Such was the case recently when two trucks collided in the Kansas City area in an overnight incident. The accident left one of the drivers dead.
Police who were investigating said that one of the trucks, which was hauling a large beam of concrete, and was heading north. Another semi, approaching from the west on a state highway, ran in to the vehicle. The driver of the vehicle heading east died as a result of the accident, and the condition of the driver was not mentioned. Police are continuing to investigate the incident.
When compared with a car accident or an accident involving a piece of machinery, people in Kansas City may be tempted not to think of a slip and fall as a major ordeal. Particularly if the fall is from the same height, it may just seem that the worst case scenario is some embarrassment and maybe a bruise or two.
The reality, though, is that even what seem like minor falls can leave a person seriously injured, if not permanently disabled. Broken bones after a fall are not uncommon, for instance, and they can mean weeks or even months of recovery.
Many times, the serious and fatal traffic accidents in this area that get the attention of Kansas City's news media happen on major highways or, at least, on principal roadways where motorists travel at higher speeds. However, as a recent tragic case illustrated, deadly auto accidents can happen anywhere, even on the neighborhood streets.
A recent accident that left one driver dead illustrates this point, as it happened in a neighborhood on the Kansas side of the Missouri River and in broad daylight as well. It also appeared to happen at least close to a school zone. Police say that one man, a local who was just over 50, was traveling in one direction on the street and came upon a vehicle heading in the opposite direction. Police did not explain exactly how, but the cars managed to collide head-on, pushing the truck on to its side.
When many people in the Kansas City area think of a brain injury, they may think of someone suffering a severe blow or other trauma to the head. These sorts of brain injuries are relatively common in connection with car accidents, falls and the like, but they are less so within the walls of hospitals and clinics.
However, a Missouri resident can also suffer what medical experts refer to as a hypoxic or anoxic brain injury. In these sorts of cases, the brain does not actually get physically damaged, at least not directly. Instead, the brain gets deprived the oxygen it needs to survive and stay healthy.
Personal Injury Trial Attorneys Since 1952
Bold labels are required.
Norton & Norton, P.C.
6000 N. Oak Trafficway, Suite 201
Kansas City,
MO
64118
Toll Free:
866-251-5423
Phone:
816-454-5800
Fax:
816-454-5016
Map & Directions
