Although Oregon doctors swear to do no harm, they still make mistakes which lead to the untimely death of patients. When this happens, victims’ families are left to deal with the loss of a loved one in addition to medical bills, lost wages, funeral expenses and other unexpected damages. If the doctor acted negligently in treating the patient, that patient’s family may be able to file a wrongful death suit to cover these expenses and more.
The family of a five-year-old child has filed a wrongful death suit on behalf of the child. According to the suit, a 53-year-old man pretended to be a doctor, got a job at a hospital and treated patients. In reality, the man never even graduated from college or medical school. Despite his lack of education, the man fraudulently received a medical license in 2007. The man apparently used this fraudulent license to gain employment at, at least two hospitals.
While working at one of these hospitals, the man treated a 5-year-old boy in an emergency room. Shortly thereafter, the young boy died.
In addition to the wrongful death civil suit, the doctor is also facing criminal charges for health care fraud. He recently pleaded guilty to the charges. He will be sentenced in September and could spend up to 10 years in prison for his actions.
While the criminal case, may provide Oregon families with a sense of justice, it will not help them get the compensation they deserve — only the wrongful death suit can do that. In fact, the civil and criminal cases are completely unrelated and the outcome of one will not affect the outcome of the other.
Source: Corning Leader, “Fake Wellsville, Dansville doctor pleads guilty,” John Zick, June 4, 2013