Jury Awards Woman $4 Million For Doctor’s Negligence In Emergency Room

Georgia injury lawyers representing victims of medical malpractice are still disheartened about the so-called “tort reform” that the Georgia Legislature has enacted in the last two or three years. Most Georgia citizens have no idea that they have given virtual immunity to Georgia emergency room physicians. If you are a patient in a Georgia hospital emergency room and you are seriously injured or meet your death as a result of an emergency room doctor’s negligence or medical malpractice, you cannot sue the doctor or the hospital for damages “unless it is proven clear and convincing evidence that that the physician or health care provider’s actions showed gross negligence”. In Georgia if you are lucky enough to make it out of the emergency room and you are injured or die as a result of medical malpractice committed elsewhere, you are limited to a recovery of $250,000.00 in non-economic damages thanks to the good work of conservative Georgia legislators looking out for big business at the expense of Georgia citizens.
Recently, a Virginia jury awarded $4 million to a woman whose heart condition was misdiagnosed by an emergency room physician in Virginia. According to the lawsuit, the woman was forced to undergo a heart transplant as a result of the misdiagnosis. The condition could have been treated with medication had it been caught early enough, according to the victim’s lawyer. The award was later reduced to $1.8 million which is the cap on medical-related damages in Virginia. If she had been in Georgia, it is likely the woman would have no case whatsoever under Georgia law because the doctor’s negligence/malpractice was committed while she was a patient in the emergency room.
The Georgia medical malpractice lawyers at Finch McCranie, LLP have many years of experience in medical malpractice cases and we are committed to providing personal service and to obtaining fair compensation for all of our clients. Call us at 1-800-228-9159 for a free consultation