A Canadian farmer suspected he might be suffering from bacterial meningitis when he sought help at a local emergency department. His neck was stiff, and his skin was covered in the telltale spots caused by the disease. Furthermore, local authorities had recently warned citizens of a local outbreak of meningitis.
Unfortunately, the physician who saw the farmer was not sure what to do, and proceeded to simply conduct a series of tests for over three hours. By the time the man finally received the antibiotics he needed, it was too late: clots formed by the bacteria had already spread widely, choking off the blood flow to his limbs and killing the tissue. Surgeons ended up amputating large portions of both legs and one of his arms.
A full decade later, the farmer has finally won a fair verdict in his medical malpractice suit – a case that highlights the life-and-death context of emergency medicine. Meningitis is a well-known disease that can advance with frightening swiftness. For a doctor not to immediately react with treatment is an unacceptable lapse.
If you or a loved one has been injured due to a medical professional’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact an experienced medical malpractice lawyer today using the Personal Injury Lawyer Directory.
