Hawaii hospitals and other facilities across the nation are filled with patients who are either scheduled for surgeries or have just undergone surgical procedures. Many patients have no say about which surgeon will perform their operations due to insurance policies. When tragedies occur because of medical negligence, families often wonder where to turn for help.
A woman in another state has joined her deceased husband’s estate in filing a wrongful death lawsuit against the surgeon who had operated on him in 2011. Although the statute of limitations in that particular state requires a claim to be filed within three years, exceptions can be made when negligence was not discovered until later. In this situation, the widow learned details about her husband’s death when a local newspaper contacted her.
Apparently, another patient had also died after undergoing surgery with the same doctor who operated on the woman’s husband. The state launched an investigation after two of the seven surgeries the doctor had performed ended in fatalities. The surgeon is said to have surrendered his license at the conclusion of that investigation.
The doctor has since claimed he was fired for purely political reasons and was in no way unprofessional in his duties at the hospital. The 77-year-old man and the other patient who died were both determined to have been left on heart-lung bypass machines too long. Other potentially fatal errors were also said to have occurred. In Hawaii, any immediate family member who believes medical negligence caused a loved one’s death may pursue justice in the matter by consulting with a personal injury attorney.
Source: host.madison.com, “Family sues Meriter over death after surgery by doctor who was fired“, David Wahlberg, Accessed on Aug. 17, 2016