Finch McCranie LLP HomeFirm Wins Jury Verdict of Over $10.9 Million in Medical Malpractice Case
A Habersham County jury returned a verdict of over $10.9 million in a medical malpractice case brought by the law firm of Finch McCranie LLP of Atlanta.
On January 16, 2012, Glenda Daniels underwent removal of her gallbladder at the Habersham Medical Center. The surgeon responsible for her care, Dr. Chadwick V. Thomas, lacerated a major artery while he was entering with a laparoscope to perform the gallbladder removal. As she began to bleed profusely from the lacerated artery, she was in need of an emergency blood transfusion. Despite losing most of her blood, she was not given a blood transfusion at the Habersham Medical Center before being transferred to the N.E. Georgia Medical Center, with devastating results that left her permanently impaired and profoundly disabled. She presented past medical expenses of over $3 million.
On July 21, 2015, a jury in the Superior Court of Habersham County returned a verdict in favor of Ms. Daniels in the amount of $10,964,000.00. In its verdict, the jury found that she had received substandard medical care from employees of the Habersham Medical Center, from the surgeon Dr. Chadwick Thomas, and from two Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, who were the two named defendants in the litigation for failing to give her necessary blood transfusions. The two CRNAs were employed by Habersham Anesthesiology Associates, Inc., against whom the jury apportioned 15% of its verdict.
The verdict of $10,964,000.00 is believed to be the largest medical malpractice verdict in Habersham County history; it is also believed to be the largest personal injury jury verdict ever returned in Habersham County.
Ms. Daniels was represented by the Atlanta firm of Finch McCranie LLP with attorneys Richard W. Hendrix and Steven R. Wisebram representing her a trial. The trial lasted seven (7) days. The CRNA defendants were represented by the Atlanta law firm of Owen, Gleaton, Egan, Jones & Sweeney, LLP. The presiding judge was the Honorable Chan Caudell.
