RSSMedical Malpractice | Orlando Accident & Injury Blog - Part 2
Florida Mother Files Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Citing Birth Injury
A Florida mother whose son was diagnosed with cerebral palsy shortly after he was born has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against her obstetrician and the hospital where the birth took place. The suit alleges that her son’s condition was caused by a birth injury and that her doctor’s negligence during birth and delivery caused the injuries that led to cerebral palsy. The suit cites numerous examples of medical malpractice and negligence, including her doctor’s failure to notice and correct the baby’s elevated heart rate prior to delivery.
Florida Investigation Sheds Light on Abuse of Disabled People
James O. Cunningham and other Orlando personal injury lawyers are closely following developments in a case involving abuse at a Central Florida care facility. State officials filed a complaint against the Lake County school and care center for disabled people after receiving numerous complaints about abuse at the facility. They say that complaints from residents about abuse by staff members are nothing new at the Carlton Palms Education Center, located in a remote orange grove outside Mount Dora. State officials began investigating residents’ complaints after hearing that they were being routinely beaten, choked and dragged across the floor at the center. One resident lost a tooth after being struck by a staffer, another reported being tripped by one of the employees and another resident was reportedly struck over the head with a large plastic trash bin until his head was bleeding profusely.
Fungal Meningitis Outbreak Traced to Compounding Pharmacy
Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that they have traced the source of a rare but deadly fungal meningitis outbreak to a compounding pharmacy in New England. James O. Cunningham and other Orlando personal injury lawyers are following developments in this case closely, as up to 14,000 people in at least 14 states have been affected. Mr. Cunningham is especially concerned, as at least ten cases and two deaths have been confirmed in Florida so far, and the count is expected to go higher in the coming weeks.
Understand Medical Documents Before Signing
New patients in a doctor’s office or outpatient clinic understand that they will have to fill out several different forms in order to receive treatment, but few truly understand the potential ramifications of signing one of the forms often included in the pile of papers. In most cases, one of the forms will be a type of contract called an arbitration agreement, which limits a patient’s right to a jury trial and also limits damages if the patient is a victim of medical malpractice. James O. Cunningham and other Orlando personal injury attorneys have fought against the legality of these contracts for years, as most people do not understand that they are essentially signing away their rights to fair and just compensation if they suffer an injury due to malpractice.
Surgical Instruments Left Inside Patients Often Lead to Serious Health Problems
A recent article in The New York Times tells the story of a 59-year-old nurse in Kentucky who woke one morning to crushing pain in her abdomen. The pain was so debilitating that the woman began to vomit, and she sought immediate medical attention. A CT scan led to a very troubling diagnosis: a surgical sponge left over from a medical procedure years earlier had adhered to her bladder, stomach and abdominal cavity and caused a serious infection that required the removal of a large portion of her intestine. She sued the hospital where the surgery had taken place and won $2.5 million in damages. However, attorneys for the hospital appealed the ruling, and the case is still pending. She now suffers from serious problems with her bowels and is unable to work.
Florida Legislators Should Reconsider Medical Malpractice Damage Caps
There has been a lot of discussion in the media recently on the benefits of limits on the damages that medical malpractice victims can receive in court awards. This discussion is largely fueled by lobbyists and publicists for the insurance and hospital industries who say that damage caps are necessary in order to prevent medical practitioners, healthcare facilities and patients from being punished due to a small minority of negligent individuals and facilities. They say that caps are necessary to keep malpractice insurance premiums affordable for doctors and healthcare facilities and help prevent doctors from moving their practices to other states.
Florida Judge Rules That State Farm Can View Surgeon’s Files
James O. Cunningham and other Orlando personal injury attorneys are closely following developments in a lawsuit filed against State Farm Insurance. The nationwide insurance corporation, aggressively defending itself against an auto-injury lawsuit brought by a Florida personal injury law firm, recently persuaded a federal judge to order a Florida neurosurgeon to turn over his surgical logs to the insurer.
Deaths at Florida Hospital Prompt Investigation for Negligence
Three very troubling deaths at a privately run Florida hospital have prompted an investigation by state officials that revealed that many patients were being overmedicated and employees failed to alert officials about suspected abuse after a patient died in a bathtub of scalding water. The South Florida State Hospital in Broward County is operated by The GEO Group Inc., a company based in Boca Raton that is one of the world’s largest private operators of penitentiaries and detention centers.
Inquiry Finds Unnecessary Heart Procedures Performed at Florida Hospital Chain
Two years ago, the chief ethics officer of the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), the biggest hospital chain in the U.S., received a letter written by a nurse at one of the corporation’s hospitals in Fort Pierce, Fla. The troubling nature of the letter prompted an interview with the nurse, who said that one of the doctors at the Lawnwood Regional Medical Center had been performing unnecessary heart procedures on patients. A subsequent HCA internal investigation found that the nurse was right; one of the cardiologists had been putting patients’ lives at risk by performing unneeded surgeries.
Tips to Prevent Cosmetic Surgery Medical Malpractice Cases
The number of cosmetic surgeries performed by plastic surgeons in the U.S. has more than doubled from 2000 to 2012, and the popularity of elective procedures such as face lifts, tummy tucks, Botox treatments and others is expected to increase for the foreseeable future. Once considered a very specialized niche in the surgical field, the increasing availability and exploding popularity of plastic surgery has attracted surgeons with much less training and experience. The combination of less experienced surgeons and an ever-increasing pool of people wanting these procedures is a source of concern for patient advocacy groups, federal officials and Orlando medical malpractice attorneys such as James O. Cunningham.
Mr. Cunningham is an excellent and knowledgeable attorney.