Medical professionals in Tennessee and elsewhere have a duty to provide each patient with a certain quality of treatment and care. Failure to provide this standard of care could place the health of a patient at risk, and in some cases, such negligence could bring about potentially life-altering consequences. A family in another state was recently awarded a substantial sum in a settlement agreement in a medical malpractice lawsuit after negligence caused a wife and mother of three to fall into a coma.According to the lawsuit, the woman first visited the hospital after she began to experience difficulty breathing. After being admitted into the emergency room, she was reportedly given a narcotic by hospital staff and then released. After exiting the emergency room and entering the waiting area, she reportedly went into cardiac arrest and subsequently fell into a coma.
The family claims that hospital members were aware of and chose to ignore issues in her medical history that placed her at high risk of heart failure. They also state that her condition is unchanged and that she is not expected to come out of the coma. After filing a medical malpractice claim against the facility, the family was recently awarded $3.8 million pursuant to a settlement agreement.
Watching a family member suffer permanent harm due to the negligent actions of a medical professional or facility can be a traumatic experience. Those who face similar circumstances could benefit from retaining the services of an experienced attorney for guidance on the next steps to take to pursue accountability through the civil justice system. An attorney can assist a client in Tennessee in pursuing the full amount of restitution entitled through a medical malpractice claim against the party or parties deemed responsible.