$750,000 Settlement - Negligent Surgery Wrongful Death

In a case that illustrates many things that are wrong with the manner in which medicine is practiced in New York and also with our system of holding bad doctors responsible, Hunter Shkolnik and Tom Valet recently settled a case in the middle of trial for the widow of a man who died after undergoing open heart surgery.

The negligence in the case was obvious: the surgical team failed to purge the air out the lines of the cardio-pulmonary bypass pump prior to surgery. When they turned the bypass machine on, air was injected directly into the patient's aorta and caused a massive stroke.

The case never should have had to go to trial, but it did, because nobody on the surgical team would take responsibility. We had to fly in a cardiopulmonary surgeon and his support team to testify at trial. It was only after we did so that the defense finally agreed to settle. However, damages were limited by New York's archaic wrongful death law, which permitted the surviving widow to recover only for the economic loss she suffered as a result of her husband's death. She was not permitted by law to recover anything for her emotional loss. Theresa Sardono v. The State of New York.

Contact Rheingold, Valet, Rheingold, Shkolnik, & McCartney today for a free consultation about your possible Medical Malpractice claim and learn about all of your legal rights. Call our office toll-free at (800) 349-0004 or contact us online.