Catastrophic Injury

$17 million jury verdict. A 9-year old child was admitted to the hospital suffering from croup. A swollen throat due to croup made it difficult for him to breathe. The physician who admitted the child told the resident physicians that if the child exhibited any difficulty with breathing, he should intubate him, inserting a hollow tube to open up airway and assist with breathing. The resident physician failed to follow the attending physician's orders, and the child's airway closed down, making it impossible for him to breathe. He suffered severe brain damage from the lack of oxygen resulting in permanent mental and physical impairments. This is the largest jury verdict for medical malpractice ever in the state of Ohio that has not been overturned.

$4.5 million settlement. A 38-year old man suffered severe brain damage from a ruptured aneurysm. The patient went to the emergency room complaining of "the worst headache of his life" and was admitted to the hospital for evaluation. During hospitalization, the patient's aneurysm ruptured, causing severe brain damage and leaving him unable to walk and provide for his wife and children. Had the physicians at the hospital conducted the appropriate tests, they would have diagnosed and successfully treated the aneurysm before it ruptured.