New Hampshire Personal Injury Lawyers

Medical Malpractice - Personal Injury Settlement Report

Nature of claim: Near-fatal post-operative blood loss following nasal surgery.
Lawyer for Plaintiff: Attorney Michael Hall, referral counsel Michael Rainboth

This medical malpractice claim was brought against the defendant doctor by the plaintiff patient and his wife, both for the life-threatening injuries the patient suffered and for the severe strain which the incident placed on their marriage.

The surgery, which was performed for the purpose of allowing the plaintiff to breathe more easily through his nose, involved cutting into tissue that was rich in blood vessels. Thus, one of the well-known complications of the surgery, and one for which the defendant should have been vigilant, was post-operative bleeding. When the defendant performed the surgery, he was aware of these facts.

Though the defendant doctor did instruct the plaintiffs to report excessive bleeding following the surgery, his own conduct revealed a lack of concern regarding the risks of post-operative bleeding. He failed to do a careful exam of the nose and throat following the surgery, and thus did not observe active bleeding and consequently suture or pack the nose to stop it. Moreover, he failed to return the first two calls made by the patient’s wife, and again failed to treat adequately the patient’s severe bleeding when their concern forced them to return later that same day. As the defendant himself later admitted, the standard of care required these and other precautionary actions to be taken, yet they were not. As a result, the patient almost bled to death.

Eventually, the patient had to be brought by ambulance to the emergency room, where he received a proper examination. The care provided during this examination, as attested to by the physician’s notes, contrasts sharply with the documented care provided by the doctor who performed the surgery and who dismissed plaintiffs’ previous concerns as overreactions.

As a result of the injuries occasioned by this substandard care, the patient has since suffered severe depression leading to attempted suicide and endured emergency surgery, a week-long hospital stay, and a long and slow recovery. Likewise, the mental and physical toll of needing to care for her husband 24 hours per day placed a heavy burden on the patient’s wife and their marriage has suffered greatly as a result.

Personal Injury Attorney Michael Hall tried this medical malpractice injury case with referral counsel, Michael Rainboth, and ultimately settled for a confidential amount after a hung jury.

New Hampshire Personal Injury Case Evaluation - Medical Malpractice

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New Hampshire Medical Malpractice / Personal Injury Lawyers

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