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Hospital Settles Medication Error Medical Malpractice Lawsuit For $5.1 Million

By Jack Lebowitz, Esq. and Vadim Mzhen, Esq.

In California, San Francisco General Hospital has agreed to pay $5.1 million to settle a medical malpractice lawsuit filed by a patient who was seriously injured after hospital staff gave him the wrong medication. San Francisco supervisors approved the settlement amount on Tuesday.

According to court documents, John Weatherspoon III, then 40, sought treatment at the hospital for a cough and a fever in 2005. Hospital staff diagnosed him with renal failure and gave him sedatives. Due to the alleged failure of the staff to monitor the doses he received, he suffered cardiorespiratory failure and sustained an anoxic brain injury.

The lawsuit accused the hospital of breach of medical professional. The city has admitted to mishandling Weatherspoon?s case.

Weatherspoon now requires full-time medical attention. The settlement will pay for his medical care for life. He also recently settled a medical malpractice lawsuit with University of California for $250,000. UCSF doctors are among the personnel that work at San Francisco General Hospital.

Wrong Diagnosis
Unfortunately, the wrong diagnosis of a patient?s condition is not an uncommon occurrence. Misdiagnosing a patient?s symptoms can prove fatal?especially when someone is given the wrong medication because the diagnosis was incorrect. Wrong diagnosis, delayed diagnosis, and failure to diagnosis can be catastrophic.

In Maryland and Washington D.C., our personal injury lawyers handle serious medical malpractice cases and traumatic brain injury cases. Do not hesitate to contact our Maryland law firm for your free consultation with an experienced medical malpractice attorney or one of our traumatic brain injury lawyers.

$5 million OKd to settle S.F. malpractice case, SFGate.com, April 30, 2008

City Hall Watch: Board backs big settlement in lawsuit, Examiner.com, April 30, 2008

Related Web Resources:

San Francisco General Hospital

Brain Anoxia or Hypoxia, Healthlink.mcw.edu

Contact Lebowitz & Mzhen today.

Full post as published by Maryland Accident Law Blog on April 30, 2008 (boomark / email).