33% of medical malpractice lawsuits end up in settlements never to go on trial. Medical malpractice lawsuits are filed when victims sustain injuries or die from a mistake or a misdiagnosis made by a medical professional. But whether a medical malpractice lawsuit is settled or goes on trial, it is undeniable that victims or the family of victims go through an enormous amount of stress from the whole ordeal. Here are how some victims and families of victims coped with the aftermath of a lawsuit.
Dennis Quaid And His Twins, Thomas and Zoe- Medical Malpractice Lawsuit
In December 2008, Dennis Quaid and his then-wife Kimberly Buffington settled with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for $750,000. The actor, represented by a medical malpractice lawyer, filed a case against the hospital for giving his children a massively incorrect dose of Heparin. Thomas and Zoe nearly died from an overdose of the blood-thinner.
After the whole medical and legal nightmare, Dennis Quaid said, “You go to a dark place. But you gotta pull yourself away from that, you gotta remain optimistic. But everything turned out okay. We had a happy ending.”
Tequila Snow And Her Son, Gerald, Jr.
A Cook County jury awarded $101 million to Tequila Snow and her son, Gerald, Jr. in 2019. Gerald suffers from severe brain damage resulting from the failure of the medical staff of West Suburban Medical Center to monitor Ms. Snow. Ms. Snow will be using the damages awarded to take her son home and for the care needed to rear a child with brain damage. Ms. Snow believes that the settlement amount will never replace the quality of life her child should have had, but the money will make sure that Gerald will be taken care of for life.
Julie Andrews
Mount Sinai Hospital settled with Julie Andrews in September 2002 for an undisclosed amount. Ms. Andrews filed a lawsuit after surgery for non-cancerous nodules, which resulted in permanently damaging her voice. She admitted that she suffered from depression after the surgery and felt like she lost her identity. In her mid-60s, she and her daughter were asked to write children’s books. Ms. Andrews discovered that she loved it though she still misses singing. She has since continued with her acting and writing career.
Medical malpractice settlements will not be able to bring back what was lost or damaged. It can, however, provide for the care needed by the victims, replace the income lost, or give some emotional relief to the family.
