Salmonella outbreak leads to medical malpractice lawsuit
Losing a child is an experience not wished on anybody. The newborn son of a California couple died in a Modesto hospital only 43 days after his birth in 2012. The family has had to cope with many unanswered questions since that sad day. Three years later, they were provided with some answers that resulted in their filing a medical malpractice lawsuit.
In April, the California Department of Public Health and Stanislaus County Health Services Agency revealed that the neonatal intensive care unit of the hospital experienced a salmonella epidemic during the time period when their baby was in its care. The parents claim that, although their son had started showing symptoms of gastrointestinal distress, the medical staff assured them that their child’s condition was improving at a rate that might allow discharge by June. Instead, the child died days later.
The hospital and primary care physician are accused of not being forthcoming even though they were fully aware of the epidemic. It is alleged that the defendants failed to inform the families of approximately 20 babies in the neonatal facility at the time of the outbreak. It is further claimed that the accepted standard of care would have involved shutting down the unit and testing all medical staff. Nevertheless, the neonatal unit is said to have remained open and continued functioning in apparent disregard of the safety of its patients.
California residents who believe the death of loved ones were caused by medical negligence, doctor error or any other form of medical malpractice may have viable legal claims for financial relief of medical expenses and end-of-life costs, among other monetary damages. Navigating a medical malpractice lawsuit can be intimidating and complex, and proving negligence or wrongdoing on the part of a medical professional can be a difficult and expensive process. The support and guidance of an experienced medical malpractice attorney may ease the difficulties and offer an opportunity to prove allegations of wrongdoing in court.
Source: recordnet.com, “Pair claims Modesto hospital liable for baby’s death“, Joe Goldeen, May 17, 2015
