Malpractice Lawsuit Involving the Death of a Liver Donor Goes to Trial
A medical malpractice lawsuit involving the death of a liver donor who died on the operating table is scheduled to go to trial.
About the Medical Malpractice Lawsuit
According to the Boston Globe, Paul Hawks went under the knife in 2010 at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center to donate much of his liver to his sick brother-in-law.
The operation went wrong when he died on the operating table after the six hour operation. Now, the trial is underway in the medical malpractice lawsuit regarding Hawk’s death.
The burning question is whether the surgeons should have given Hawk’s more detailed information about his brother-in-law’s severity of cancer and prognosis, and whether this would have affected his decision to become a donor
Common Forms of Medical Malpractice
Failure to provide adequate information about a treatment or procedure is among the most common forms of medical malpractice. Other common examples include:
- Misdiagnosis of illness – the incorrect diagnosis of an ailment
- Incorrect prescription – the wrong prescription for an ailment
- Surgical errors – an error during surgery that could have adverse consequences
- Delayed diagnosis – diagnosis of an ailment that is too late
- Failure to treat – treating an ailment incorrectly or not treating it at all
Medical Malpractice Statistics
- An estimated 210,000 – 400,000 deaths each year are associated with medical errors (British Medical Journal)
- Only heart disease (614,348) and cancer (591,699) claim more lives each year in the United States than medical errors
- Medical errors cause more deaths each year than unintentional injuries, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- The total medical malpractice payout amount for 2016 in the United States was $3.84 billion (Diederich Healthcare)
Contact an Experienced Medical Malpractice Attorney
If you or a loved one have been injured due to a medical error, contact Thomas J. Henry. Our firm has a proven track record of winning large cases for severely injured clients for more than 25 years. Thomas J. Henry has the experienced medical malpractice lawyers and the legal and financial resources necessary to properly develop your case. Our dedication and determination is reflected in the record-breaking results we have helped our clients achieve.
Our firm has offices in Corpus Christi, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso, and Houston, serving clients across Texas and nationwide. Call us today for a free case review — attorneys are available 24/7, nights and weekends.
