Personal Injury Law

Radiation Offers Cures, but Small Mistakes can cause Inordinate Harm

By Hurley, McKenna & Mertz

At Hurley, McKenna & Mertz we seek to represent victims who have been devastated by medical negligence. Unfortunately, those who are victims of medical negligence often do not know where to turn. It is always a good idea to seek a consultation from a lawyer about your medical malpractice case. At Hurley, McKenna & Mertz, we are always willing and ready to review your case. The following story exemplifies the sadness and devastation that accompanies medical malpractice.

Walt Bogdanich reports for the New York Times, ?As Scott Jerome-Parks lay dying, he clung to this wish: that his fatal radiation overdose ? which left him deaf, struggling to see, unable to swallow, burned, with his teeth falling out, with ulcers in his mouth and throat, nauseated, in severe pain and finally unable to breathe ? be studied and talked about publicly so that others might not have to live his nightmare? (1/24). At merely 43 years of age, he died only several weeks after he summoned his family for a final Christmas.

His story is one that is, unfortunately, not unfamiliar; ?A New York City hospital treating him for tongue cancer failed to detect a computer error that directed a linear accelerator to blast his brain stem and neck with errant beams of radiation. Not once, but on three consecutive days.? Mr. Jerome Parks and others experienced the ?wonders and brutality: of radiation technology, giving them an advanced diagnosis and prognosis for treatment, but also a mistake that lead to unspeakable pain. Shortly after the incident, state health officials warned hospitals to use extreme caution with linear accelerators.

While Mr. Jerome-Parks hoped that his misfortune would allow medical providers and safety regulators to avoid similar accidents in the future. However, the intricacies of his case, and of other similar incidents, have been ?shielded from the public view by the government, doctors, and the hospital.?

Although radiation technology has, without a doubt, saved countless lives, such powerful treatment must be executed with precision. The New York Times found that radiation does allow ?doctors to more accurately attack tumors and reduce certain mistakes, its complexity has created new avenues for error.? Although Mr. Jermoe-Parks?s tale is devastating, it is a tale that must be told, and a tale that cannot be covered by for there are lessons that must be learned.

Full post as published by Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyer Blog on January 31, 2010 (boomark / email).