Medical malpractice: Jury rules in favor of deceased man’s family

Typically when a person in Massachusetts is experiencing chest pain, medical care professionals are alarmed and spring into action. They need to determine whether the chest pains are a symptom of a serious condition, such as a heart attack. If appropriate tests are not conducted, the patient’s condition likely cannot be adequately diagnosed and treated. An out-of-state jury has recently ruled in favor of a family who claims that medical malpractice led to their loved one’s death.

Court records indicate that the 73-year-old patient began experiencing chest pain in Oct. 2008. He was in the hospital emergency room for two days before he was admitted to the hospital. At the time of his admittance, he was treated by his primary care physician.

The family members of the deceased man claim that the primary care physician did not order appropriate tests that might provide insight into the patient’s condition. He also did not ask that a cardiologist examine the man. Unfortunately, the man died just days after he initially sought treatment.

After a two-week trial and four hours of deliberation, the jury issued a verdict in favor of the surviving family members and awarded them $950,000. As victims of medical malpractice in Massachusetts have likely discovered, the financial ramifications of such a loss is often difficult to manage. As a result of the recent litigation, medical care workers may be made more aware of the consequences of failing to provide an appropriate standard of care, ultimately protecting future patients and their families from experiencing similar harm.

Source: pantagraph.com, “Ford County jury returns $950,000 verdict“, Edith Brady-Lunny, Dec. 16, 2015