OK senate approves workers’ comp alternative

Oklahoma companies would be allowed to opt out of the state’s traditional workers’ compensation system and instead self-insure or have alternative coverage under new guidelines outlined in a bill approved Wednesday in the state Senate.

Sean Murphy, Business Week

NC agency, no workers’ comp go to jail?

The state Industrial Commission will be taking a tough line next month against uninsured employers it has ordered to settle claims with injured workers: Pay up or go to jail.

Mandy Locke, Charlotte Observer

Man Shot in Detroit Gas Station, Lawsuit Filed

A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against a Detroit gas station attendant who allegedly shot an unarmed customer in the back during a dispute in the store. The suit also names the hospital the victim’s companions brought him to, claiming security guards outside the building detained them rather than rushing the man inside for help. The suit is seeking unspecified damages.

David Ashenfelter, Detroit Free Press

Suit Filed over Botched Surgery at Military Base Hospital

A U.S. Air Force veteran will fill a lawsuit against the military and the government over a botched gallbladder surgery that cost him both his legs. Under the Feres Doctrine, the military is immune to civil suits, but the plaintiff’s attorney said the doctrine is outdated and unfair to troops who “suffer due to negligence or incompetence on the part of the military.” Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal by another soldier who suffered a botched appendectomy at the same military base hospital.
 
Staff Report, United Press International

$4.2 Million Awarded in Medical Malpractice Suit

A $4.2 million verdict has been awarded to a Pennsylvania couple in a medical malpractice lawsuit against a physician at the Moses Taylor Hospital. The jury ruled the physician was negligent in the treatment of Sandra J. Powell, who was admitted to the hospital in 2003 after suffering multiple strokes. The suit alleged the doctor should have known the woman was at risk of suffering another stroke and should have done more to prevent it before discharging her.
 
Steve McConnell, The Scranton Time-Tribune

Contact the Medical Malpractice Lawyers at 414-276-2100

Nurse Cut Off Infant’s Finger, Suit Claims

A Florida mother has filed a lawsuit against the Florida Regional Medical Center and a nurse there who accidentally cut off her 3-month-old daughter’s finger. The girl had been taken to the hospital with a high fever, the suit says, and when she was about to be sent home the nurse accidentally cut off one of her fingers instead of the IV tube. The finger was not able to be reattached. The lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages.

Nina Mandell , New York Daily News

Suit Filed over Death of Man in Immigration Custody

A Mexican woman has filed a $1 million lawsuit against the U.S. federal government after her husband died while being held by immigration authorities in Georgia. The suit claims the man, who died from myocarditis, was not properly reviewed by a physician, as is required by federal law. Immigration records show the man had x-rays taken and that the results were “abnormal,” but nothing was done to help him.

Jeremy Redmon , Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Settlement Reached in Fatal Pharmacy Shooting

An Oklahoma woman has reached a settlement with an Oklahoma City pharmacy over the death of her 16-year-old son, who was shot by the pharmacist while attempting to rob the store. The pharmacist shot the boy once in the head, and then five more times with a second gun while he lay unconscious on the floor. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but sources say the amount was in excess of $100,000.

Nolan Clay , NewsOK.com

UH Player Settles Lawsuit over Game Injury

A former football player at the University of Houston has settled a lawsuit against Conference USA, Marshall University and a football official over a compound leg fracture he suffered in a game against Marshall in 2008. The plaintiff, Patrick Edwards, suffered the injury when he collided with a metal service cart that had been left just behind the end zone while attempting to catch a pass. Edwards accused the defendants of negligence.
Sam Khan Jr., Houston Chronicle

Suit: Seat Belts Could Have Prevented Fatal Wreck

A lawsuit has been filed against a school bus company in Indiana over a fatal school bus wreck on March 12; the suit claims the deaths could have been prevented if the bus had seat belts. The driver and a five-year-old boy were killed in the crash, and others were hospitalized. The suit says the company, Miller Transportation “operated an unsafe bus because it didn’t have seat belts.” The lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages.
John Tuohy, Indianapolis Star

Wrongful Death Suit Filed Against Jell-O Museum

A lawsuit has been filed against the owners of the Jell-O Museum in New York over the death of a man who fell from a lift at the museum in 2010. According to the suit, the man was on his scooter riding the lift when the scooter traveled through the back door of the lift, falling to the ground. The man landed head first on the concrete, fracturing his skull and breaking his neck. The suit alleges negligence against the museum owners and workers who were assisting the plaintiff on the lift.

 
Bennett J. Loudon, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle 03/15/2012

$8 Million Verdict in Virginia Tech Shooting Suit

A federal judge has awarded $8 million to the families of two students killed in the Virginia Tech shootings in 2007. The wrongful death suit against the school claimed university officials failed to warn students about the presence of a gunman on campus, which lead directly to the death of the students. Attorneys for the state have filed a motion to reduce the verdict, citing a state law that caps jury awards at $100,000.

 
Andrew Chow, Reuters 03/15/2012