Whether it is due to illness, age or some other factor, a seemingly simple fall can wreak havoc on the bodies of many Oregon residents. Some injuries can have serious or fatal consequences that might not be readily apparent. When such a fall happens while under the care of medical professionals, hospital negligence could be to blame for any adverse health effects — including death – the patient suffers.
A widow who lost her husband in 2012 recently filed a lawsuit against a hospital where her husband was injured back in 2011. Court documents indicate that he fell and was taken to a medical facility in his area. Sometime after his arrival, he was admitted. Records indicate that he was listed as being a high-risk patient for falls.
The widow asserts that hospital personnel failed to properly monitor her husband, resulting in a fall and suffer injuries during a time when he was left unattended. Nearly a year later, the Louisiana man died. His widow alleges that the injuries he received that day at the medical center contributed to his death. She filed a suit for medical malpractice based on the lack of supervision her husband received and treatment issues.
As would be the case here in Oregon, it will be up to the court in which the case was filed to determine whether hospital negligence played a part in the death of this woman’s husband. In order for her to succeed, it will be necessary to prove that the care her husband received was not up to applicable medical standards and that any errors caused or contributed to his death. Damages could be awarded if the court rules that medical malpractice occurred.
Source: louisianarecord.com, “Widow alleges medical malpractice against Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner LLC“, Carrie Bradon, May 23, 2106