These days, many professionals do nOt retire at 65 years of age. Some practice longer, and perhaps perilously so when the results are death.
A 13-year-old girl is dead as the result of having two baby teeth removed and an impacted one uncovered by an 80-year-old dentist. The child’s death was attributed to lack of oxygen to the brain after the dentist had given her anesthesia.
In a further shocking development, it was discovered that the same dentist had also been involved in a wrongful death lawsuit about 12 years ago. That suit involved a 57-year-old woman who had six teeth removed. She reacted badly to the halothane and went into fatal cardiac arrhythmia. The wrongful death lawsuit, filed by her husband, stated the dentist did not have a defibrillator or continuous EKG; things that could have saved the woman’s life.
At that trial, two expert witnesses stated the dentist had violated certain standards of care and the jury agreed, awarding the plaintiff $550,000. Whether or not the mother of the 13-year-old girl will file a wrongful death lawsuit is not clear, but it is evident that she would have good cause to do so and that the dentist in question has an existing history of malpractice and negligence. There would likely also be some questions as to whether or not he should be practicing at his age, since that would go to his abilities to handle the kind of precision work needed to perform dental surgery.
Wrongful death lawsuits are hard on everyone involved, from the plaintiff to the jury, and in cases where a child dies, they are even more difficult. There is the specter of a life that could have had so much potential, but for the negligence of the doctor/dentist.
If you have been in a similar situation, you need to speak to a qualified and seasoned Atlanta personal injury lawyer. There comes a time when you need to know how to move forward with your life after a wrongful death and you will need financial support to do that.
Your Atlanta personal injury lawyer is able to explain to you the route you will need to take to obtain just compensation and what you will face as the case moves forward. If you want straight answers from an attorney that cares about what happens, make your first call to an Atlanta personal injury lawyer for help.
Tim Anderson writes for Atlanta Personal Injury attorney, Stephen M. Ozcomert. The firm specializes in personal injury, malpractice, motorcycle accidents, and wrongful death. To learn more about Atlanta personal injury lawyer, Stephen M. Ozcomert, visit Ozcomert.com.