Pennsylvania woman dies from treatable condition, lawsuit alleges

It’s not often that you hear of a medical malpractice lawsuit being filed against medical professionals on behalf of another doctor. That is exactly what the family of young Pennsylvania woman who died last year is doing, however. They claim failure to diagnose a simple medical condition caused the woman’s death.

The 26-year-old medical school graduate started getting terrible headaches and bruising for no reason in May 2013. She sought medical treatment at a hospital where she was admitted and given pain medication and underwent testing. Despite the fact that the headaches had already persisted for 10 days, though, doctors did not order a CT scan until nearly two days later. When it was finally determined that the young woman had a blood clot and given anti-clotting medicine, her condition had worsened too much; she had already experienced neurological problems at that point. She had a stroke, cerebral hemorrhaging and sustained brain damage because of doctors’ negligence, the lawsuit claims. In a cruel twist of fate, the young woman died at the same medical center where she was going to start her medical residency. The family’s lawsuit claims that the woman’s condition could have been easily diagnosed and treated. They are suing for damages including loss of the young doctor’s future earnings.

The fact that this woman’s death could have been prevented makes it all the more tragic. While doctors are not responsible for a patient’s medical condition, they are responsible to diagnose that condition in a timely manner. A delayed diagnosis can significantly reduce a patient’s chances of survival. If you believe that doctors failed to recognize symptoms, did not perform the right tests or misread the results of medical tests during treatment, you may want to speak with an attorney regarding your legal rights. 

Source: the times-tribune.com, “Lawsuit: Negligence in death of young doctor,” Bob Kalinowski, Jan. 9, 2014