Medical school graduate's death disputed by hospital

Medical errors happen around the country and in Pennsylvania on a daily basis. They can range from errors with medications, problems during or after a surgery, a failure to diagnose a problem correctly or more. No matter the nature of any errors, the results can leave victims with life-long medical conditions. In extreme cases, fatalities result from cases of medical negligence and families are forced to deal with the permanent loss of their loved ones.

The death of a new medical school graduate in Pennsylvania in May 2012 is one such situation. In a prior blog post we reported on the case in which the woman’s family filed a lawsuit against the hospital system involved, Geisinger Health System and the Geisinger Health System Foundation. Now, a recent article has been published in the news indicating that Geisinger is supporting the actions of all hospital personnel.

The article reports that the defendant proposes that, while the death was unfortunate, the woman’s condition was pre-existing and not able to be treated, insisting that no negligence took place. The family, via its attorney, confirmed its belief that the blood clots that led to the doctor’s death were able to be diagnosed and treated.

Failure to diagnose or delayed treatment that leads to a worsened condition are known to be two leading causes of deaths from medical errors. If you have lost a loved one as the result of a medical mistake, you might be helped by working with an attorney. The ability to seek some compensation cannot bring a life back but can offer some consolation and hope to prevent further errors for others.

Source: TheTimes-Tribune.com, “Geisinger defends treatment of late doctor,” Bob Kalinowski, February 4, 2014