In 2008, Brookdale University Hospital was at the center of one man’s grief when it was revealed that his grandmother had died as a result of poor treatment and neglect by the hospital and medical center personnel.
When filing a medical malpractice lawsuit, Thomas Stephens revealed that Brookdale personnel’s mistakes and carelessness caused the wrongful death of his grandmother, Nora Stephens, who ultimately died from complications caused by pressure ulcers.
Nora developed pressure ulcers on her skin during her stay at Brookdale, yet these were not treated, and the stage four ulcers worsened and became so severe that she suffered from a blood infection followed by gangrene in both of her feet.
While pressure ulcers cannot be wholly prevented, they can be treated, and so the development of gangrene should never have occurred. Nora’s admissions records indicate that she arrived at Brookdale with all her skin “intact,” which indicates that the development of her pressure ulcers is entirely the fault of the hospital.
At 91 years of age, Nora was bedridden and unable to help herself during her illness. Amputation of her feet was scheduled; however, she died from gangrene before this medical intervention could take place.
Legal Matters
A wrongful death claim is a special kind of medical malpractice lawsuit that you file if your loved one has died as a result of a hospital or medical practitioner/s negligence or malpractice. There are several things that a hospital or medical practitioner/s can do to cause the wrongful death of a loved one, such as:
- Failing to diagnose their medical condition
- Causing a birth injury
- Making a surgical error
- Making medication errors
- Using defective medical equipment
- Making anesthesia errors
- Performing various kinds of doctor errors
Because of the complexities associated with wrongful death claims, you should consult with a qualified medical malpractice lawyer before filing a wrongful death medical malpractice lawsuit.
The reason for this is that many elements need to be considered when filing a medical malpractice lawsuit, and these differ by state according to state law. If you live in NYC, then the best thing you can do when filing a wrongful death medical malpractice lawsuit is to consult with a qualified NYC medical malpractice attorney.
Your NYC medical malpractice attorney will be able to explain the key elements of filing a wrongful death claim, as well as help you prove these elements so that you have the best chance at winning your claim. Generally, you will need to prove that:
- The death of your family member occurred because of a hospital or healthcare professional/s medical negligence
- The hospital or healthcare professional/s involved breached their duty of providing your family member with the best possible standard of care
- It was the breach of this duty that caused your family member’s death
- The death of your family member created quantifiable financial and emotional damages to your family which the court can provide redress
Contact
Please feel free to contact the medical malpractice lawyers of Rosenburg, Minc, Falkoff & Wolff LLP in NYC if you think that a family member may have experienced a wrongful death.
By calling us on 212-344-1000, you will be able to speak to one of our medical malpractice attorneys for a free, confidential consultation.