Imagine that physical labor came to define you as a person. You loved the work, and the work fit who you are as a person. Being able to work hard and accomplish your goals in this setting gave you tremendous pride and satisfaction.
This work, though, is predicated on the fact that you are healthy and physically able to perform certain distinct functions. So what would happen to this person if they were to suffer from an incident of medical malpractice, thus robbing them of their ability to perform the labor that they love?
Sadly, for one man, he came to find out what happens. The 58-year-old had a swollen lymph node in 2008 and he needed it to be removed. A surgeon went in to perform the surgery, but during the course of the procedure, a mistake was made that damaged a nerve. As a result, the man lost significant functionality in his right shoulder which prevented him from raising his right arm above his head, or to even extend his arm.
He filed a medical malpractice lawsuit and won, with a jury awarding him $4.2 million.
While this is a great result, the man’s life will never be the same. He still works at his company, but he can’t perform his normal duties. That very work that made him who he is is gone now. Worse still, the man’s lawyer says he still has terrible recollections of the surgery — a psychological aspect to medical malpractice cases that isn’t always talked about.
Medical malpractice doesn’t just affect a person physically. There are mental and emotional elements to these cases as well. The victims of poor medical care deserve justice, and hopefully fulfilling that justice at least gives them the comfort they need to move past this difficult chapter in their life.
Source: New Haven Register, “Wallingford man gets $4.2 million in medical malpractice case,” Luther Turmelle, July 1, 2015
