Personal Injury Law

Wrongful death lawsuit brought against doctor who negligently prescribed drugs to driver who killed a child in auto accident

By Steven M. Levin and John J. Perconti

If physicians do not warn patients of the risks medications have on driving ability, they now can be held liable in an automobile accident lawsuit. In a recent suit, a boy was killed in a car accident by a man prescribed eight different medications by his doctor and was not warned of their side effects. The doctor now faces a wrongful death lawsuit based on his medical negligence. According to the mother of the victim's attorney, the doctor should have warned his patient that the medications he was prescribed are known to have certain side effects such as drowsiness, dizziness and fainting. The doctor should also have warned his patient not to drive. The doctor claimed that this medical mistake was too far removed from the car accident tragedy, but the court ruled that a possible consequence of that negligence could be harm to others.

Full post as published by Illinois Medical Malpractice Blog on January 08, 2008 (boomark / email).