On Sep. 22, 2015, Delfino Cuautle, father of three, had to undergo an emergency amputation of his leg above the knee due to a series of bureaucratic bungling at Coney Island Hospital, NYC. The 13 hours delay in surgery triggered the need for amputation of Cuautle's leg. Cuautle filed a medical malpractice lawsuit at Brooklyn Federal Court. The jury awarded him $24 million for his suffering that could have been easily prevented had timely treatment been initiated.
Read more: Bureaucratic Bungling at City Hospital Cost Brooklyn Man His Leg
While they might be some of the smartest people globally, doctors are still only human, and humans are bound to make mistakes. But, these errors can sometimes be fatal and account for medical malpractice. Such was the case for 28-year-old Athena Natal. During childbirth in 2013, a large part of her placenta was left behind in the uterus, leading to her painful death a few days after bringing a beautiful baby girl into the world.
Read more: Doctors’ Negligence Leaves Newborn Baby Motherless
Lorraine Evans, now 85, woke up in the hospital after a routine biopsy procedure to find that her jaw had been broken during the procedure, and she had been handed a $14,000 medical bill. Unaware of the extent of the damage initially, she went to see another doctor for the pain and discovered how badly she had been dealt with at her previous hospital. She filed a medical malpractice lawsuit at Bronx Supreme Court in 2015 against the hospital responsible for the incident.
A seven-year-old girl died at the Brooklyn based Woodhull Hospital in 2018 following an alleged medical misdiagnosis. A'Mari Murriel-Johnson’s mother believes that the hospital and the doctor were directly responsible for her daughter's death because her condition worsened due to the “doctor’s negligence.”
Read more: Did Medical Misdiagnosis Kill a Seven-Year-Old Girl in NYC Hospital?
When Stephanie Debes and her twin sister, Amanda, were born prematurely, they had no idea that the life of one of them would be eons away from the other despite them being twins. The family won a $100 million medical malpractice lawsuit in 2012 against the hospital where the twins were born. Stephanie was a teenager at the time the court announced the verdict.
Read more: SI Cerebral Palsy Teen Won $100M Lawsuit Against Hospital
MANHATTAN LAW OFFICE
122 East 42nd Street Suite 3800
New York, NY 10168
Tel: 212-LAWYERS
Tel: 212-697-9280
QUEENS LAW OFFICE
8900 Sutphin Blvd Suite 501
Queens, NY 11435
Tel: (718) 399-3100
*By Appointment Only