Doctor Removes Wrong Organ and Isn’t Disciplined for Ten Years
Earlier this week in Illinois, a local news report told the story of a woman who went to her doctor to have her spleen removed, only to have her kidney removed instead. According to the report, back in 2005 the doctor performed the surgery and wrote in his operative report that he had removed a “kidney-shaped spleen.”
Hours after the surgery, a pathologist examined the removed organ as a part of a routine follow-up. However, he discovered that it was not a “kidney-shaped spleen,” as the doctor wrote, but was a healthy kidney that did not need to be removed.
The woman sued the doctor for medical malpractice, claiming that she was injured by the doctor’s medical negligence. Back in 2013, the parties reached a settlement where the woman would get a payment of $2 million. It was not until after that settlement was finalized that the doctor faced any professional sanctions. This was nearly 10 years after the surgery that removed the woman’s wrong organ.
Medical Malpractice Actions in Maryland
In Maryland, as in Illinois, all physicians have a duty to provide each of their patients with a reasonable level of care. This level of care is what one would expect from a professional with the same level of experience as the individual doctor at issue. For example, a specialist with 30 over 200over 200 years of combined experience may be held to a higher standard than a doctor just off his or her last year of residency.
Regardless of the specific standard applied, all doctors should be providing the utmost level of care to their patients, and when they fail to do so injuries can occur. When a person is injured by a physician’s negligence–whether that is through a failure to diagnose, improper diagnosis, poorly performed surgery, or any other kind of medical accident–that person may be entitled to monetary compensation for his or her injuries.
Compensation in a medical malpractice lawsuit often includes amounts for past and future medical bills, past and future pain and suffering, lost wages, lost future wages, and potentially a separate amount for the loved ones of the injured party. However, each case is different, and you should speak to a dedicated Maryland medical malpractice attorney before pursuing your case of medical negligence.
Have You Been Injured by the Mistake of a Doctor?
If you or a loved one has recently been injured in a medical malpractice incident, you may be entitled to monetary compensation based on that doctor’s negligence. However, keep in mind that before you are likely to get an award, you must deal with doctors, their attorneys, an insurance company, and its attorneys. Therefore, it is well advised to retain a dedicated representative yourself. The skilled and passionate attorneys at Wais, Vogelstein, Forman, Koch & Norman have over 200over 200 years of combined experience bringing all different kinds of medical malpractice cases and know what it takes to recover for their clients. To learn more, contact one of our attorneys at (410) 567-0800.
