$1.6M Settlement for Medical Malpractice That Caused a Man to Be in a Vegetative State
Written by Ronemus & Vilensky on December 2, 2016

Medical malpractice is not uncommon. If you or someone you love has been victimized by it, don’t be ashamed to seek legal advice and get the right compensation you are due.
A man 65 years of age was admitted to a New York Health Care System for an Anterior Cervical Decompression. After surgery he was transferred to the ICU and on post op day 1 there were already signs that the man was having difficulty breathing and swallowing. The following day, his symptoms have worsened as he appeared dazed and removing his IV. On the third day, he began to desaturate and an arrest was called. The first attempt of intubation was unsuccessful and it was only 29 minutes after when the house staff had successfully intubated him. By then, he was already at a vegetative state due to the anoxic brain damage he had suffered. The man’s sister, his instituted guardian, instituted an action against the United States. Plaintiff alleged that the severe brain damage could have been avoided had her brother been intubated immediately as soon as the difficulty of breathing was observed on day one. Defendants argued that there were no obvious signs of a problem until the man had begun to desaturate. The man stayed in the hospital for almost 3 more months until he was transferred to a nursing home. He continued to stay the nursing home in the same vegetative state for 6 years until he expired on October 15, 2015. This case was taken on due to medical malpractice and sure enough, the plaintiff was awarded the amount below for the damages.
Case settled for $1,600,000