Man Sues Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan After Release of Psychiatric Patient Caused his Wife’s Death
In February 2018, a man who does not wish to be named filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan for the death of his wife in what can only be described as a “freak accident” that never should have happened.
The victim’s husband reported that a psychiatric patient being treated at Bellevue Hospital was responsible for the untimely death of his wife. Despite being treated at the hospital and classified as a known risk, the psychiatric patient, named Melanie Liverpool-Turner, was prematurely discharged from the hospital. Documents show that Liverpool-Turner displayed several warning signs that indicated she was not yet ready for release and still posed a great threat to the public. Sadly, Liverpool-Turner pushed a woman in front of a subway car three weeks after her release, killing her instantly.
Jefferson Airplane Singer Disabled by Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital
In March of 2016, the then lead singer of Jefferson Airplane, Marty Balin, was rushed to the emergency room at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital due to complaints of severe chest pain. What followed was a nightmare far beyond what he could have imagined.
Doctors performed open-heart surgery, which included a triple bypass and a valve replacement that forced Balin into the intensive-care unit (ICU) for recovery – the one place in any hospital that requires the most specialized and supervised care. What doctors had failed to tell him upon admission was that the hospital was in the process of closing, and they were severely understaffed.
Hulk Hogan Sues Spine Clinic After Undergoing Unnecessary Surgeries
In 2013, wrestler and reality TV star Hulk Hogan filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the Laser Spine Institute and several of its surgeons in Tampa, claiming that they rendered inappropriate care that damaged his wrestling career due to them performing unnecessary surgeries on him. Additionally, the Institute used Hogan’s endorsement without his permission, prompting him to seek damages of $50 million.
Man Sues Peninsula Hospital and Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Hospital in Complex Medical Malpractice Case
Perhaps one of the most complex medical malpractice cases to come out of New York City is that of 34-year-old cable splicer, Thomas Dockery.
In 2002, Thomas suffered a grand mal seizure in his sleep and was rushed to Peninsula Hospital in Far Rockaway, New York. His CT scan was interpreted as normal; however, an MRI interpreted two days later showed a lesion known as a glioma, which is a central nervous system tumor. Thomas was referred to Dr. Chris Overby of Peninsula Hospital, a neurosurgeon who agreed that he had a glioma. A second opinion was obtained from Dr. Philip Gutin of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Hospital in Manhattan, who also agreed that Thomas had a glioma and scheduled a surgery for 13 days later.
Mount Sinai Hospital’s Medical Malpractice Caused Infant’s Death
Mount Sinai Hospital is a well-known hospital that borders on Manhattan’s East Harlem and Yorkville neighborhoods. Originally founded in 1852, the center now includes the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, which currently ranks among America’s top 20 medical schools. Unfortunately, this ranking isn’t enough to prevent medical malpractice from occurring at the hospital, and one of its more shocking cases involved the in-utero death of an infant.
On 13 December 2017, Jana Diaz arrived at Mount Sinai’s Midwood’s facility in Brooklyn at 1 am due to cramps and bleeding. The hospital did not have a maternity ward or an OBGYN on staff, and no one was immediately called when it became apparent that they did not have the knowledge or facilities needed to treat Jana correctly. In fact, Jana states that it took 90 minutes for the emergency care doctor-on-call to see her and perform an exam and that her unborn baby’s heart rate had dropped to 104 by then. Despite this, Jana says that the hospital staff was more concerned with ensuring that her paperwork was being correctly filled in as opposed to managing her clinically. Jana’s lawyer states that as a clear obstetrical emergency, an emergency C-section should have been performed immediately.
Surgical Error at Hospital for Special Surgery Results in Young Girl Going Blind
Known as one of the best hospitals in New York City, the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) is considered a leading orthopedic, rheumatology, and neurological care facility. Unfortunately, medical malpractice can still occur in medical centers with such stellar reputations, as evidenced by Bethany Flanders and her filing of a medical malpractice lawsuit against one of the hospital’s doctors.
When Bethany Sanders was 13 years old, she underwent spinal surgery to help treat her serious scoliosis. Despite being doubled over and barely able to walk, Bethany could still see and had normal vision before undergoing the seven-hour operation; however, Bethany came out of the surgery unable to see – a possible surgical side-effect that surgeon Oheneba Boachie-Adjei failed to disclose to her and her family. Additionally, the informed consent form required for such a surgery was never presented to Bethany and her parents, nor was it signed.
One of New York University Langone Medical Center’s Own Doctor’s Sues for Medical Malpractice
When the terms “medical malpractice” and “medical malpractice lawsuit” are mentioned, visions of patients and their families suffering needlessly are the first that come to mind. However, fellow doctors are just as vulnerable to medical malpractice at the hands of their colleagues.
In 2014, Steven Stuchin, a renowned orthopedic surgeon, became a victim of New York University Langone Medical Center, when he was forced to undergo a battery of assessments, including neurological testing, in a bid to dismiss him from his position. Stuchin, who was 66 years old at the time, had a “stellar” reputation as an experienced doctor at NYU’s Langone Hospital for Joint Diseases and as an associate NYU professor. He claims that he was treated like an “old bag of bones” after two higher-ups decided that he was too old to continue working, despite there being no valid reason.
Montefiore Medical Center and Medical Malpractice Lawsuits
With more than 1,490 beds and multiple facilities in Bronx residential neighborhoods, Montefiore Medical Center boasts a large presence in NYC. It completes approximately 15,532 inpatient and 13,431 outpatient surgeries each year and is among 38 academic medical centers nationwide to be awarded a prestigious Clinical and Translational Science Award by the National Institutes of Health. However, like all medical institutions, the center is not immune to incidences of medical malpractice, and several medical malpractice lawsuits have been filed against the center in recent years.
Hospital Negligence and Hospital Infections
Though cases of hospital negligence and malpractice are not as common as other types of medical malpractice, hospitals have a responsibility to both their staff and their patients to provide the best quality and standards of care, as well as a safe and hygienic environment.
Hospitals are required to have several policies and protocols in place, one of which being the hospital’s stance and procedure related to infection control. It is the duty of the hospital to not only establish these protocols but to monitor them consistently to ensure that they are being adhered to. Not doing so can lead to patient injury or even death.
It was reported that an estimated 1.7 million cases of hospital-acquired infections occurred in the United States in 20
Hospital Negligence at New York Fertility Clinic
In 2007, Nancy Andrews and her husband sued a Long Island fertility clinic after it was revealed that they had inseminated her with the wrong man’s sperm.
Nancy and her husband approached the New York Services for Reproductive Medicine for in-vitro fertilization treatments after struggling to conceive their second child. Nancy became pregnant soon after and gave birth to a healthy baby girl nine months later. The couple’s joy quickly turned to bewilderment, however, when it became apparent that the girl had markedly darker skin than either of her parents.
