A California wrongful death medical malpractice trial came to a conclusion recently after a jury reached a verdict in favor of the family for $1.75 million in damages, according to mynewsla.com.
Wrongful death claims are generally initiated by an attorney on behalf of the spouse, children, family, or beneficiaries of the decedent. A wrongful death is legally defined as an unnecessary death that results from the negligence or misconduct of another person or entity.
The case came about after a 44-year-old mother of two died at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. The case was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.
The California wrongful death jury found that the doctors who treated the mother were negligent in their care and treatment, particularly in performing a hiatal hernia repair surgery. During and after the surgery there was a failure to diagnose a cut in the stomach. This cut caused bleeding and eventually the mother’s death.
Surgical medical malpractice is a serious problem and can be very difficult to prove without the right legal representation. In California, there’s also a $250,000 cap on medical malpractice damages that are non-economic in nature. This means that if the jury awards damages for pain and suffering, mental anguish, or other human damages, the court will cap those types of damages over $250,000.
Although monetary compensation can never atone for the loss of a family member, it can provide the financial support you and your family need to pay off medical bills, funeral expenses, and other debts incurred as a result of an unexpected death. These types of compensation are called compensatory damages and are meant to help get the victim(s) back to where they started financially before the loss of their loved one.
If you believe you have a California wrongful death case that needs to be evaluated for medical malpractice, you should contact a lawyer as soon as possible.