Palm Beach Jury Awards $7.7 Million To Victim Of Botched Plastic Surgery
A Palm Beach jury recently awarded a Connecticut woman and her husband $7.7 million dollars after she suffered debilitating injuries from a botched liposuction procedure in 2006. The medical malpractice suit named the doctor who performed the surgery as well as the hospital she was admitted to following complications from the operation.
During the trial, jurors saw images of the botched plastic surgery performed by a physician who has since been stripped of his medical license and put in jail for practicing medicine without a license. The surgery lasted over seven hours at a Boynton Beach medical office and was meant to enhance the victim’s cosmetic appearance.
However, she suffered serious complications and was forced to seek medical treatment from Bethesda Memorial Hospital. While admitted, her injuries were mishandled by hospital staff who failed to consult with a plastic surgeon to properly ascertain her condition, according to the suit.
Palm Beach Hospital Liable for Medical Malpractice
The plaintiff contended that due to the hospital’s negligence, her condition worsened and caused her back and stomach to become a disfigured mass of scar tissue. Her lawyers maintain that her treatment called for help from a plastic surgeon to treat her wounds, and the hospital knew or should have known this to be the case, but breached the standard of care by not doing so.
The jury found the doctor who performed the full-body liposuction 60 percent liable for the plaintiff’s injuries and the hospital 40 percent liable for its medical malpractice. As a result, the hospital will have to pay just over $3 million in damages to the plaintiff. Unfortunately for the victim, the doctor who performed the surgery does not have the means to pay the award and their hopes of recovery appear to be very slim.
What is Medical Malpractice?
Medical malpractice is a form of negligence in the medical field. The law holds that all persons must act in reasonably safe manner to prevent foreseeable injuries to other persons and hospitals and doctors are no exception.
In West Palm Beach medical malpractice lawsuits, doctors who violate a standard of care to their patients may be held liable for subsequent injuries. The standard of care is the expected medical treatment a patient should receive and is determined by what other doctors in similar situations would do for their patients.
Victims of medical malpractice may file medical malpractice lawsuits in order to recover various types of damages, depending on the extent of their injuries and other factors. Damages in medical malpractice lawsuits may include hospital bills, future medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and mental anguish for physical disfigurement.
West Palm Beach Medical Malpractice Lawyers
If you believe you may need West Palm Beach medical malpractice lawyers to help you get the compensation and justice you deserve, contact our office for a free legal consultation. The Pendas Law Firm represents clients throughout West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando, Fort Myers, Tampa, and Jacksonville.
