Personal Injury Law

Massachusetts Woman Wins $2.5 Medical Malpractice Verdict for HIV Misdiagnosis

By Altman & Altman

A jury in Massachusetts awarded Fitchburg resident Audrey Serrano $2.5 million in her medical malpractice lawsuit against Dr. Kwan Lai, the doctor who misdiagnosed her with HIV.

Serrano was treated for HIV for nearly nine years before she found out that she never had the virus. Her treatments included powerful drugs that caused her to experience depression and a number of health problems, including chronic fatigue, depression, and inflammation of the intestine. Dr. Kwan Lai reportedly did not order definitive tests to confirm that Serrano definitely had HIV.

If you were injured or got sick because a doctor or any other medical provider misdiagnosed your illness, you should speak with a Massachusetts medical malpractice lawyer who can help you determine whether you have reason to file a medical malpractice claim or lawsuit.

Last week, Lai testified that Serrano was the one who persuaded her she had the virus that caused AIDS and that the 45-year old woman had an abnormal number of cells for battling infections. Lai treated Serrano at the HIV clinic of the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester. The medical center was not named as a defendant in the personal injury lawsuit.

Serrano filed the lawsuit four years ago after she began to question whether the diagnosis was correct. She took a test at another hospital.

Damages could exceed$3.7 million with prejudgment interest.

CNN.com offers five reasons to suspect that you have been the victim of medical misdiagnosis:

? Your symptoms are not the same as what your diagnosis says they should be.
? Your diagnosis is the result of just one lab test.
? Treatments are not improving your health.
? You did not receive a test that is usually administered to confirm your diagnosis.
? You have been diagnosed with a physical ailment that is rare.

Jury awards $2.5 million to Mass. woman misdiagnosed with HIV, Boston.com, December 12, 2007

Has your illness been misdiagnosed?, CNN.com

Related Web Resources:

Five commonly misdiagnosed diseases, CNN.com, October 3, 2007

Wrong Diagnosis.com

Full post as published by Boston Injury Lawyer Blog on December 13, 2007 (boomark / email).