South Carolina Lawyer Blog

The family of a Putnam City West High School cross-country runner, who drowned while on a training run when he fell into deep water on a flooded portion of a trail just south of the Lake Overholser Dam, has settled with Oklahoma City for $50,000. The family claimed his death could have been prevented if the city had maintained the area better.

The 17-year-old was in a group of runners when they encountered the flooded trail in August 2007. The water was 8 inches deep where most of the group successfully crossed. The drowning victim sank into deeper water, where his teammates tried unsuccessfully to pull him out. His body was recovered the next day in 20 feet of water.

Since the settlement, school officials have added safety measures that include checking the condition of trails before allowing students to run on them.

The Louthian Law Firm has vast experience in pursuing wrongful death lawsuits. Call us today at 1-800-410-5656 for a free evaluation of your unique case.

Wrongful Death

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An Horry County, South Carolina jury awarded $3 million to a man in the death of his wife caused when she went into septic shock and died about 48 hours after being discharged from the Grand Strand Regional Medical Center emergency room. The lawsuit claimed that the hospital failed to run all the necessary tests and did not take the patient's temperature after an initial check when she arrived in January 2002.

The patient went to the emergency room complaining of stomach and lower back pain on a Saturday and was diagnosed with a kidney stone. After four hours the doctors released her with a prescription for pain medication and a scheduled appointment for the following Monday.

The jury determined that both the hospital and attending emergency room physician, Dr. Stephen Law, were negligent in the care of the woman, and that they did not follow the nationally recognized standards of medical care.

The Columbia SC Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Louthian Law Firm have many years of experience in medical malpractice cases and we are committed to providing personal service and to obtaining fair compensation for all our clients. Call us at 1-866-410-5656 or fill out our confidential online case evaluation form.

Medical Malpractice

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A Nashua, New Hampshire couple will receive $1.25 million in a settlement with Tufts Medical Center in a medical malpractice suit filed after the man's 2003 kidney transplant went wrong. The patient received a perfect-match donor kidney from his brother, but the kidney failed after only a week.

The couple claimed negligence by the staff when they failed to recognize the tell-tale sign of decreased urine output that the kidney was failing. The attending physician was not called in and a renal ultrasound was not ordered until the next morning. The lawsuit claimed understaffing, rookie doctors-in-training and chain-of-command breakdowns

The hospital claimed that the patient suffered a known complication with kidney transplants and that earlier intervention would not have saved the kidney.

The man has since had another kidney transplant, which failed after 3 years, and is on the transplant list again.

The Columbia SC Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Louthian Law Firm have many years of experience in medical malpractice cases and we are committed to providing personal service and to obtaining fair compensation for all our clients. Call us at 1-866-410-5656 or fill out our confidential online case evaluation form.

Medical Malpractice

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A jury has awarded $400,000 to an Easton, Massachusetts woman in the wrongful death of her father after he died in a 2005 incident at the Embassy House nursing home in Brockton. The man was severely injured when a nurse did not follow proper procedures when moving him from his bed using the Hoyer Lift.

According to testimony, a Hoyer Lift, used to move immobile patients, requires two attendants to operate. A nurse attempted to move him on her own when a hook gouged the patient's eye requiring surgery. He acquired sepsis after the surgery and died 46 days later.

The jury found Kindred Healthcare, owner of the nursing home, negligent in the eye injury and awarded the $400,000 plus interest for pain and suffering and disfigurement.

The Louthian Law Firm has vast experience in pursuing wrongful death lawsuits. Call us today at 1-800-410-5656 for a free evaluation of your unique case.

Wrongful Death

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Shands at the University of Florida was ordered to pay $6.2 million to the family of a professor who died during a CT scan of his lungs in 2002. The 41-year-old man underwent gastric bypass weight loss surgery when he developed breathing difficulties 5 days later. He died during the CT process.

The CT lung scan was ordered to assess the patient's breathing issues. Even though the man said "I feel like I am dying" and that if he was laid flat he did not believe he could breathe the nurse did not check his oxygen saturation levels.

The man is survived by his wife and 10-year-old son.

The Columbia SC Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Louthian Law Firm have many years of experience in medical malpractice cases and we are committed to providing personal service and to obtaining fair compensation for all our clients. Call us at 1-866-410-5656 or fill out our confidential online case evaluation form.

Medical Malpractice

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A Michigan family was awarded $235,000 in a lawsuit against a GM car dealership claiming a fire in the rear seat of their Buick LeSabre, started by a faulty battery cable, caused their husband/father to die from cardiac arrest.

The 79-year-old man, with a history of heart problems, and the family attempted to put out the fire. When the car continued to burn they crossed the road, where the man went into cardiac arrest and died.

The defense showed that there were other cases involving similar incidents with GM vehicles.

The trial lasted eight days, with the jury deliberating for nearly seven hours. The $235,000 in damages was solely for the non-economic loss.

The Louthian Law Firm has vast experience in pursuing wrongful death lawsuits. Call us today at 1-800-410-5656 for a free evaluation of your unique case.

Wrongful Death Suit

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An 87-year-old mother and her 62-year-old daughter will split a $10.8 million award to cover their past and future medical expenses after being severely injured in a car accident with a Pizza Hut delivery driver. The daughter suffered permanent brain damage and can no longer take care of herself on a daily basis. The mother suffered a broken neck and other injuries.

The delivery driver, who was only 18-years-old at the time, had an epileptic seizure, blacked out and reportedly crossed the center line on a San Diego street, crashing head-on into the other car. While the girl had had previous seizures, she was not diagnosed with epilepsy until after the accident.

The defense argued Pizza Hut should be liable for hiring a driver that "had a history of suffering blackout spells and staring episodes." While the jury did not find Pizza Hut negligent in hiring her, it did conclude the company is responsible for damages because the driver was their employee at the time.

If you have been in an accident, it’s important to make sure you understand your legal rights. You may be able to recover money for medical bills, lost wages, funeral costs, as well as compensation for wrongful death or permanent disability. Contact the experienced car accident attorneys at the Louthian Law Firm for a free evaluation of your case at 1-866-410-5656 or fill out our confidential online consultation form.

Car Accident Injury

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$12.2 million was awarded on behalf of a San Mateo, California teenager who suffered traumatic brain injury that has left her in a permanent vegetative state after being struck by a driver while in a crosswalk.

The accident, which occurred in 2006, was caused by a combination of driver error, a poorly marked crosswalk and pedestrian error. California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), which maintains the roads, was found 50 percent at fault, the driver was 30 percent responsible and 20 percent was apportioned to the victim.

The marked crosswalk did not have any lights or stop signs to control traffic and is out of view until a driver is approximately 100 feet away. In the 10 years prior to the accident, three other pedestrians have been killed in the same crosswalk.

If you have suffered a personal injury or lost a loved one in an automobile accident, the attorneys at Louthian Law Firm can help. Call us for a free consultation at 1-866-410-5656.

Automobile Accident

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The Seattle Times reports a jury has awarded a 44 year-old woman $2.7 million for the severe injuries she suffered in 2001 when her car struck a dead horse left on the road by a telephone company truck driver.

The victim was driving home at night from working at her family-owned gas station when the accident happened. An earlier motorist saw the dead horse and had gone to find the owner when she saw the woman's 1994 Ford Explorer hit the horse.

The jury found the phone company was responsible for the crash. The driver left the scene of the accident without alerting other motorists of the dead horse in the road. The phone company's protocol following an accident requires stopping and taking steps to prevent further accidents. The driver had safety equipment such as traffic cones, reflecting cones, and flares in his truck to use to alert other drivers.

The woman suffered full body whiplash and continues to suffer from pain. Her family's gas station closed mostly due to her inability to work her normal 60 hours a week.

If you have suffered a personal injury or lost a loved one in an automobile accident, the attorneys at Louthian Law Firm can help. Call us for a free consultation at 1-866-410-5656.

Automobile/Personal Injury

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The family of a 27-year-old man killed in a natural gas processing plant explosion has been awarded $82.5 million by a Houston jury, according to Mineral Wells Index.com. The man died of injuries sustained when a hot oil heater he was attempting to light exploded.

The jury found Houston based Exterran Energy Solutions LP grossly negligent in the 2007 death of the young husband and father of three for failing to properly construct the heater and to ensure it met industry safety standards. According to the lawsuit, it was known in 2005 the hot oil heater did not meet industry standards for mechanisms to keep gas accumulation from the burners.

The award was distributed as $10 million to his widow and $15 million to each of his children - ages 2, 5, and 7 years old for actual damages for past and future financial loss, companionship loss and mental anguish. Another $25 million was awarded to his wife and children in punishment damages because the company was found to be grossly negligent in the death. His father received $2.5 million for mental anguish and loss of companionship.

A “wrongful death” is a death caused by the carelessness (negligence) or misconduct of another person or organization. The Louthian Law Firm has vast experience in pursuing wrongful death lawsuits. Call us today at 1-800-410-5656 for a free evaluation of your unique case.

$82M Wrongful Death

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A Virginia woman was awarded a $3 million medical malpractice verdict against a local gynecologist after her hysterectomy went terribly wrong. Due to a state law capping such awards, the judge reduced the award to $1.9 million.

According to the lawsuit complaint, the patient was badly injured when a hysterectomy performed by Winchester, Virginia physician Katherine Averill in 2007, resulted in her vagina being stitched to her rectum. The patient required several additional surgeries to correct the problem, including a colostomy procedure.

The doctor's practice closed in November, 2009.

If you or someone you care about has been injured by the carelessness of a medical professional, you should speak with an experienced South Carolina medical malpractice attorney like the ones at the Louthian Law Firm as soon as possible. Our attorneys can help you evaluate your case; protect your legal right to the courts; stand by your side throughout the legal process; and get you the best possible results. For a free consultation, call the Columbia SC Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Louthian Law Firm today at 1-866-410-5656 or fill out our confidential online case evaluation form.

Medical Malpractice

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A New Cumberland, Pennsylvania woman who was hit by a pizza delivery driver, while she was crossing the street in a crosswalk, has been awarded $910,000 compensation for her injuries. The 61-year-old who now primarily gets around in a wheelchair, had her right side crushed requiring her to have her head stapled together and to have 3 inches removed from her leg.

The lawsuit held the delivery driver and his employer, Sidoti’s Italian Grille and Pizzeria in Lower Allen Township, liable for the damages. Neither the driver nor the pizzeria defended themselves against the lawsuit. Sidoti’s lacked insurance coverage for the crash, and they never responded to the legal correspondence or filings.

Since Sidoti’s does not have insurance, the lawyers will seek to enforce the damage award by securing a judgment against the firm and its assets, a process that could become difficult if Sidoti’s files for bankruptcy protection. The victims' insurer has covered her $250,000 in medical bills to date.

If you have been in an accident, it’s important to make sure you understand your legal rights. You may be able to recover money for medical bills, lost wages, funeral costs, as well as compensation for wrongful death or permanent disability. Contact the experienced car accident attorneys at the Louthian Law Firm for a free evaluation of your case at 1-866-410-5656 or fill out our confidential online consultation form.

Crash Award

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