All medical patients, including those who may be incarcerated at the time, are entitled to treatment provided according to the highest level of acceptable standards and safety procedures. Doctor negligence often leads to severe injuries or illness to patients, many of whom have filed medical malpractice claims against those deemed responsible. One such claim was recently filed by an inmate in a correctional facility outside the state of Florida.
The woman, age 62, claims that substandard medical care on the part of prison doctors caused her to suffer a severe kidney infection that resulted in the need for the surgical removal of one of her kidneys. Apparently, she had been given x-rays at a county jail due to severe abdominal pain. She was transferred to another correctional facility, and she is said to have suffered continued pain, fever and blood in her urine at that time.
Although the x-rays reportedly showed that the woman had a kidney stone, medical staff at the correctional facility allegedly did nothing more than provide some pain medication, even though the woman requested further treatment. In 2014, the woman reportedly became so ill and filled with infection that she had to have her kidney surgically removed. She has since filed a medical malpractice suit against the state.
Any person in Florida who has suffered infection or other ailments due to negligence on the part of medical staff may seek compensation for damages by filing a medical malpractice claim against any party deemed responsible. The burden of proof is on the plaintiff in such cases; therefore, it is typically in one’s best interests to act alongside experienced legal guidance. An attorney can enlist the aid of various experts whose testimonies can help confirm a claim.
Source: oregonlive.com, “Coffee Creek inmate who had kidney removed files medical malpractice lawsuit against state“, Maxine Bernstein, April 18, 2016
