A widow has accused the United States government of committing medical errors that led to the death of her husband. The alleged medical malpractice happened during a surgery on her husband in 2013. She filed her lawsuit last month and cited the primary cause of action as negligence. Although this is not a Pennsylvania medical malpractice case, it is not unheard of for individuals to pursue claims against medical facilities like this in our state.
The complaint says that the woman's husband underwent a lymph node dissection procedure following chemotherapy treatment. The dissection was part of the treatment protocol for testicular cancer. The complaint further alleges that a government medical facility committed negligence relating to a suture in one of the man's left renal arteries during the dissection procedure.
According to the complaint, the man should have been moved to a special cancer treatment center for care. Allegedly, if the man had received better quality care, he likely would not have died from surgery complications. According to the suit, all the doctors who treated the man were under the employ of the United States government.
The widow's complaint is seeking $5 million for anguish and the lost earning capacity of her husband. It is also seeking attorneys' fees, costs and expenses. Pennsylvania residents who lose a loved one following a negligent medical procedure will suffer emotionally from the unexpected loss of a loved one. They may also suffer financially if the deceased person contributed to family income. For this reason, medical malpractice claims can pursue a variety of damages, including claims relating to emotional turmoil and lost income.
Source: southeasttexasrecord.com, "Widow accuses U.S. government of medical malpractice", March 4, 2015