Featured News 2014 Dispatcher Awarded $9.1 Million in Medical Malpractice Lawsuit

Dispatcher Awarded $9.1 Million in Medical Malpractice Lawsuit

A jury has made a $9.1 million medical malpractice award to a dispatcher in the City of Tonawanda. The public safety dispatcher broke his ankle almost ten years ago, but mistreatment and misdiagnosis cost him the amputation of his leg recently. The case was decided in a State Supreme Court. The jury decided to give the victim $2 million in punitive damages for past pain and suffering, and another $4 million for future pain and suffering. As well, the jury awarded the victim another $2.8 million for past and future medical expenses and loss of wages. The jury also awarded his former wife another $350,000 for the loss of services.

The jury returned the verdict against the doctor who treated the individual after the broken ankle. The doctor with the initials M.P. treated the victim from 2005 to 2009 at the Knee Center of WNY. The victim testifies that he sought treatment for a broken ankle back in 2004 when he fell on steps on his way to work. He first received treatment from a physician at Excelsior Orthopedics. The victim later felt pain on the side of his foot near his pinky toe. This was evidence of an unusual nerve disorder that developed after the injury.

About a year after the injury, he started going to the Knee Center for assistance. The doctor performed multiple surgeries on the victim's little toe, trying to treat the nerve disorder. Eventually, the doctor even removed the little toe, saying this was the best way to treat the incident. When the pain persisted, the doctor removed the patient's fourth toe, leaving him with only three toes on his foot. The pain continued despite the incident. Eventually, the doctor at the Knee Center chose to amputate the patient's leg below the knee.

This amputation resulted in infection. The doctor had to take the patient back into surgery, this time amputating the leg above the knee. The surgery was performed in September 2009, leaving the patient without his leg. According to the court documents, the victim underwent a total of 12 surgeries at the Knee Center, all because of a broken leg that was not properly cared for.

Naturally, the victim filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the doctors that treated him, claiming that they were uninformed and careless about his well-being. The jury delivered the verdict earlier this month before Justice John M. Curran in Buffalo. The trial lasted 15 days.

The victim claims that he is now unable to work, and is legally disabled. The loss of his leg was a devastating blow, and has been hard on his wife and son. In fact, since the incident, the victim has divorced his wife, and he now lives in Niagra Falls. If you have been injured in a medical malpractice situation like this one, or were harmed due to negligent surgery and careless diagnosis, you need to contact a skilled medical malpractice lawyer near you today. With the right attorney on your side, you will be able to seek assistance in your case and may be able to prove that you deserve to be fully compensated for the devastating circumstances which have led to your suffering. Call today to learn more!

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