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GEORGIA MALPRACTICE LAWSUIT STEMS FROM DEATH DURING LIPOSUCTION


Whether the procedure is a life-saving surgery, an elective cosmetic surgery or another form of medical treatment, Georgia residents expect their doctors to have the knowledge, skill, and experience to avoid mistakes and ensure that their health is not unduly jeopardized. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Some people perform medical procedures without the proper license, others are affected by drugs or alcohol, and still others make mistakes. When these problems occur, patients sometime suffer irreparable harm or even die, resulting in the need for a medical malpractice lawsuit.

After his daughter died during what should have been a routine liposuction procedure at an aesthetic medicine facility in Georgia, the father is suing the facility and the doctor, claiming that their actions caused her death. The problems stated in the lawsuit include the doctor’s failure to assess her vital signs prior to the surgery, nurses absence from the room during the surgery, the doctor piercing the patient’s liver during the liposuction, and the use of anesthesia in the form of a propofol-soaked rag that was stuffed in her mouth. In addition, the lawsuit states that the doctors waited ten minutes after problems began before calling 911. The father is asking for compensation for pain and suffering, wrongful death, professional negligence and funeral expenses.

Medical malpractice can cover a range of things, including post-operative infections, spinal cord injuries, emergency room errors, birth injuries, surgical errors, failure to diagnose, and anesthesia cases, among many others. Malpractice lawsuits provide victims and their families with the opportunity to hold the responsible doctors or medical facilities accountable for their mistakes or improper actions.

Unfortunately, although the law does provide victims with this opportunity to seek compensation for their losses and pain and suffering, new changes to the law now make it more difficult to prove the malpractice occurred and places a limit on the amount of noneconomic damages that can be awarded. However, this should not deter a victim’s family members from seeking justice– an experienced attorney can advocate strongly on their behalf and work within the legal system to build and present a strong case.

Source: Courthouse News Service, “Two Women Dead After Liposuction, Police Say,” Lisa Coston, Aug. 9, 2013