The victims of hospital negligence and medical malpractice in Oregon often feel a loss of trust for the medical system and doctors. Victims may also fee a loss of control when mistakes happen for seemingly unapparent reasons. A medical malpractice claim can be a way to hold doctors and nurses responsible for hospital negligence, while allowing victims to regain some sense of control over the situation.
A large group of plaintiffs in one medical malpractice claim will be collectively receiving a $55 million settlement. The lawsuit was filed by nearly 300 former patients of a sinus doctor. The suit alleges numerous malpractice claims, including botched surgeries and unnecessary procedures that resulted in pain and suffering for hundreds. The settlement effectively ends more than eight years of litigation over the malpractice claims. Part of the settlement will be paid by a patient’s compensation fund established by the state in which the sinus doctor formerly practiced.
The doctor has also admitted to 22 counts of health care fraud in which he billed insurance companies for procedures he never performed. He was sentenced to seven years in prison last fall after disappearing on a family trip to Europe in 2004. He was finally caught in a mountainside encampment by Italian police in late 2009.
The large settlement will provide the victims of the doctor much needed compensation following his egregious acts of malpractice. Although this is not the average medical malpractice case, it demonstrates that civil remedies are available for victims. A successful medical malpractice claim can provide patients compensation for their injuries, medical expenses, lost wages and a variety of other types of damages.
Source: NWI Times, “Weinberger patients settle malpractice claims for $55 million,” Marc Chase, June 24, 2013