The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle a medical malpractice lawsuit, the Los Angeles Times reports. The lawsuit was filed in 2011 after the plaintiff was injured during gallbladder surgery at County-USC Medical Center.
According to the lawsuit, during an operation the surgeon accidentally cut two iliac veins, resulting in the need for a more extensive procedure. The plaintiff claimed that she experienced additional suffering after the extensive surgery, including deep vein thrombosis.
This is the second malpractice lawsuit in two months settled with the medical center. In March, county supervisors agreed to pay $4.5 million to a man who was paralyzed after treatment at County-USC. The medical mistake allegedly arose due to poor communication between Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where the plaintiff had been treated for a ruptured aorta a year earlier, and County-USC. According to the Los Angeles Times, the county has since implemented a “corrective action plan” aimed at improving transition of care and sharing of medical information.
According to a 2013 estimate in the Journal of Patient Safety, medical errors cause or contribute to 400,000 deaths each year in the United States. While federal regulators are making efforts to reduce this number, many say that it is still too high.
If you believe you or a loved one suffered a serious injury due to hospital mismanagement or medical mistakes, contact Lopez McHugh to discuss your case free of charge with one of our experienced malpractice attorneys. You may qualify to receive compensation through a medical malpractice lawsuit.
