A family has reached a $30 million settlement to end a medical malpractice lawsuit against a doctor who performed several experimental surgeries on their son. It’s the fourth largest medical malpractice payment in Illinois history.
The boy, now 6, now suffers from cerebral palsy and irreversible brain damage. He was born with non-life-threatening conditions – including a leak in his esophagus – in 2009. Over the next 17 months, the doctor operated on him 25 times.
Some of the procedures included inserting and replacing a stent in his esophagus – a technique that failed to show positive results in correcting such leaks. In the last surgery, the doctor even used an incorrect off-label device to repair the boy’s esophagus through suturing.
Cost of Care for Cerebral Palsy Patient
Even with the $30 million settlement, the boy’s family is hardly set for life. Estimated annual costs to provide proper care for a cerebral palsy patient is $921,000 – and that’s not even accounting for treatment for the irreversible brain damage. Care for a person with cerebral palsy includes special education services, life developmental assistance and assisted living.
The fact that the doctor in the above case continued to expose the young boy to risky and unusual operations is very troubling. First off, we’re thankful that the boy is still alive. In an earlier blog entry, we shared the news that 225,000 people lose their lives every year because of medical malpractice.
Even surgical errors are much more prevalent than you may realize. Out of the more than 234 million surgeries that are performed each year in the U.S., more than 4,000 preventable surgical errors occur. These errors are referred to as “never events” due to the almost universal agreement in the medical community that they should never happen.
The Fitzgerald Law Firm Makes Sure You Get What’s Fair
It can be tempting to think of large settlements as guarantees of a comfortable future. But in the world of medical malpractice, errors in the surgical room and elsewhere can lead to a lifetime of extensive – and expensive – care. We know because we’ve successfully represented hundreds of medical malpractice cases nationwide for more than 40 years.
Our commitment is making sure you and your family get what is fair if you’re the victim of medical malpractice. Throughout our history, we’ve recovered well over $1 billion for our clients.
If you feel that you’ve been a victim of medical malpractice, we invite you to come in for a free consultation. Contact us here at The Fitzgerald Law Firm today by calling 800-323-9900!