Virginia Beach medical malpractice law firm - http://pierceandthornton.com - represent patients and Pierce & Thornton is located in Norfolk, Virginia.
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Pierce & Thornton is a Virginia Beach medical malpractice law firm. Their attorneys represent patients and their families who have been harmed by medical negligence. The firm has achieved numerous successful verdicts and settlements on behalf of its clients in cases involving surgical error, negligent prenatal care, and psychiatric malpractice. Visit the Web Site of Pierce & Thornton to learn more.
A Virginia wrongful death claim involving the death of a bicyclist was recently settled by the attorneys of Pierce & Thornton. The facts of the case involve an experienced bicyclist who rented a bicycle while in town for a religious conference. As …
A Virginia medical malpractice case involving the death of a patient shortly after delivering a baby was recently settled by the attorneys of Pierce & Thornton. The facts of the case involve a nineteen year old pregnant woman who presented at full …
A Federal Tort Claims Act case involving the death of a patient at a skilled and long term care facility was recently settled by the attorneys of Pierce & Thornton. The decedent, a seventy-six year old woman, was admitted to the nursing home where …
A Virginia wrongful death case alleging medical malpractice by a surgeon was recently settled by the attorneys of Pierce & Thornton. The facts of the case involve the death of a 49 year old man who underwent an arthroscopy with synovectomy operative …
A Virginia wrongful death case alleging medical malpractice by a physician who gave the wrong medication to a patient was recently settled by the attorneys of Pierce & Thornton. The facts of the case involve the death of a 53 year old woman who …
The Virginia Lawyers Weekly recently reported that a federal court in Virginia held that a widow whose husband died in a collision with a tractor-trailer may sue the truck driver for punitive damages, which are damages exceeding normal compensation …
Two personal injury claims, both of which involved automobile accidents, were recently tried and won in Virginia courts by the attorneys of Pierce & Thornton. The first accident involved our client being struck from the side while traveling on …
The Virginian-Pilot recently reported that a motorcycle rider was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after he collided with a tractor-trailer in Newport News, Virginia. According to the report, when police arrived at the scene, they found …
A Virginia wrongful death case alleging medical malpractice was recently settled by the attorneys of Pierce & Thornton. The facts of the case involve the death of a 40 year old man who suffered a fracture of his tibia after being struck by a tree. He …
A recent article in The Washington Post reported that surgical “never” events – errors that should never occur, such as leaving an instrument inside a patient or operating on the wrong body part – resulted in paid medical malpractice claims about 500 …
A Virginia wrongful death case alleging medical malpractice was recently settled during trial by the attorneys of Pierce & Thornton. The facts of the case involve the death of a 46 year old mother of five. She underwent a laparoscopic supracervical …
The Virginian-Pilot recently reported that a motor vehicle accident left one person dead and others injured in Norfolk, Virginia. According to the report, the deceased individual was a passenger who exited the vehicle he was traveling in, which was …
A Virginia wrongful death case alleging medical malpractice was recently settled during trial by the attorneys of Pierce & Thornton. The facts of the case involve the death of a 46 year old mother of five. She underwent a laparoscopic supracervical …
Two personal injury claims, both of which involved automobile accidents, were recently settled by the attorneys of Pierce & Thornton. The first accident involved our client being struck from behind while traveling north on Independence Blvd. in …
The Virginian-Pilot recently reported that a bicyclist died in the Hampton Roads area after being hit by a van while riding down Northampton Blvd. near the border between Virginia Beach and Norfolk. According to the Norfolk Police, the bicyclist was …
The Virginian-Pilot recently reported that a 19-year-old man died in the Hampton Roads area when his motorcycle collided with a car on Interstate 64. According to the Virginia State Police, the man riding the motorcycle came into contact with a Jeep …
A recent article in The Wall Street Journal reported that medical mistakes kill enough people each week to fill four jumbo jets. The story reported that: (1) U.S. surgeons operate on the wrong body part as often as 40 times a week; (2) about a …
Virginia Motorist Causes Several Accidents After Travelling The Wrong Way On Interstate
A 56-year-old-man from Newport News, Virginia was recently arrested after causing several automobile accidents while travelling the wrong way on Interstate 664 in Suffolk, Virginia. Prior to his arrest, two Virginia State Police Troopers tried several times to stop and block the driver, but rather than stop, the driver struck the Virginia State Police cars, as well as several other automobiles, causing injuries. The Virginia Troopers eventually stopped the driver’s vehicle at Jefferson Avenue and Dresden Drive in Newport News, Virginia. The driver was charged with driving under the influence, reckless driving, eluding, damage to property and felony hit and run. The attorneys at the law firm of Pierce & Thornton understand that tragic accidents are an unfortunate part of life. If you or a loved one has been involved in a serious truck, auto or motorcycle accident we can help. Pierce & Thornton has experience and expertise in representing families of those seriously injured or killed by the negligence of other drivers. The lawyers at Pierce & Thornton have obtained some of the largest jury verdicts and mediation settlements in Virginia over the past several years. We can put together a team of qualified investigators and gather the information and data necessary to reconstruct the accident and determine who was at fault. We will consult with all of your health care providers so that we have a complete understanding of the nature and extent of your injuries and how the accident has impacted your life. Call today for an immediate free consultation with one of our truck, auto or motorcycle accident attorneys. The attorneys at Pierce & Thornton handle cases throughout Virginia and North Carolina, including in Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, Hampton, Newport News, Williamsburg, Suffolk, and the Eastern Shore. They also associate with other attorneys on significant injury cases throughout the United States.
Virginia Jury Returns Verdict For Family Of 89-Year-Old Killed In Car Crash
A Virginia jury recently returned a verdict in favor of the family of an 89-year-old woman who was killed in an automobile crash after her car was struck by the defendant’s car as she was proceeding through an intersection on a green light. The defendant, a 90-year-old woman, was traveling in the opposite direction and failed to yield prior to making a left turn immediately in front of the decedent’s car, which caused the vehicles to collide. Although the defendant pled guilty to failure to pay full time and attention, the case was tried to a jury on the issue of damages. After hearing testimony that the decedent suffered a brain hemorrhage from the accident that led to her death approximately 30 days later, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the family of the decedent, who was an active, relatively healthy woman who lived alone. The attorneys at the law firm of Pierce & Thornton understand that tragic accidents are an unfortunate part of life. If you or a loved one has been involved in a serious truck, auto or motorcycle accident we can help. Pierce & Thornton has experience and expertise in representing families of those seriously injured or killed by the negligence of other drivers. The lawyers at Pierce & Thornton have obtained some of the largest jury verdicts and mediation settlements in Virginia over the past several years. We can put together a team of qualified investigators and gather the information and data necessary to reconstruct the accident and determine who was at fault. We will consult with all of your health care providers so that we have a complete understanding of the nature and extent of your injuries and how the accident has impacted your life. Call today for an immediate free consultation with one of our truck, auto or motorcycle accident attorneys. The attorneys at Pierce & Thornton handle cases throughout Virginia and North Carolina, including in Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, Hampton, Newport News, Williamsburg, Suffolk, and the Eastern Shore. They also associate with other attorneys on significant injury cases throughout the United States.
Virginia Jury Finds For Nursing Home Patient In Un-Witnessed Fall
A Virginia jury recently returned a verdict in favor of an 84-year-old nursing home patient who sustained an un-witnessed fall in her bedroom. The nursing home patient claimed the fall was caused by the nursing home’s failure to apply and monitor a fall alarm in her bed, which was required by the patient’s care plan. The evidence at trial showed that the plaintiff’s fall caused left arm and left femur fractures, which required surgery, and resulted in permanent injuries and loss of mobility. The defense claimed that a bed alarm was used and that it sounded just before the fall, but that the nursing home’s staff was unable to reach the patient before the fall. After deliberations, the jury returned a multi-million dollar verdict in favor of the patient. The law firm of Pierce & Thornton has handled nursing home negligence cases throughout Virginia, including cases in Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, Hampton, Newport News, Williamsburg, Suffolk, and the Eastern Shore. We are also licensed to practice in North Carolina. The attorneys at Pierce & Thornton have tried, mediated and settled cases involving the incorrect administration or dosage of medication, falls, bed sores, decubitus ulcers resulting in respiratory arrests, myocardial infarctions, heart attacks, infections, brain damage, paralysis and wrongful death. We encourage you to contact our firm if you question the care rendered to you, a family member, or friend at a nursing, assisted living, rehabilitation therapy or hospice facility. If we can help you, we will. Your consultation is free.
Virginia Jury Returns Verdict For Patient’s Family In Medical Malpractice Case
A Virginia jury recently returned a verdict in favor of a patient’s family who died after a doctor failed to diagnose her lung cancer. The decedent had been a longtime patient of the defendant, a primary care physician. In 2007, as a part of an annual physical examination, the defendant performed a chest x-ray and missed an obvious early Stage IA lung lesion. The defendant did not have the film over-read by a radiologist nor did he order follow-up imaging. In 2008, the doctor repeated the chest film and again missed the lesion, which had grown and metastasized. In 2009, the patient became symptomatic, which prompted another chest x-ray that showed late stage metastatic cancer, which the defendant misinterpreted as bronchitis or pneumonia. When the patient’s symptoms were not relieved by a course of antibiotics, she was referred to a radiologist who immediately reported finding a large lesion that was consistent with advanced lung cancer. Additional films confirmed Stage IIIB lung cancer. Although the decedent underwent several rounds of chemotherapy, she could not beat the cancer into remission and died a short time later.
At trial, the plaintiff presented evidence that the standard of care required a primary care physician to request an over-read of films by a radiologist when an abnormality is present, which was the case in 2007 and 2008; and that had this been done, the decedent’s cancer would have likely been diagnosed and successfully treated. The defense focused on the decedent’s other co-morbidities and claimed that her cancer was not diagnosable in 2007 or 2008. After deliberating for only a few hours, the jury returned a $2,000,000 verdict in favor of the patient’s family.
The law firm of Pierce & Thornton specializes in medical malpractice litigation throughout North Carolina and Virginia, including in Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, Hampton, Newport News, Williamsburg, Suffolk, and the Eastern Shore. The attorneys at Pierce & Thornton have nearly 50 years of combined experience in litigating all types of medical malpractice cases, including those involving the misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose cancer or other serious medical conditions by a physician. They have obtained some of the largest jury verdicts and mediation settlements in Virginia over the past several years. We encourage you to contact our firm if you question the medical care rendered to you, a family member, or friend. If we can help you, we will. Your consultation is free.
PATIENT DIES FROM PULMONARY EMBOLISM AFTER KNEE FRACTURE
The plaintiff’s decedent, age 40, suffered a fracture of his tibia after being struck by a tree. He was evaluated in an emergency department, diagnosed with a fracture and referred to an orthopedist. Over the course of the next several days he experienced chest pain, coughing and shortness of breath and consulted with his P*P who arrived at a presumptive diagnosis of pneumonia and admitted him to the hospital for observation and treatment.
On the second day of his hospital admission a venous Doppler study revealed a deep venous thrombosis in his lower extremity. He was placed on anticoagulation therapy. Lab work revealed compromised kidney function thus a CT of the chest with contrast, which could definitively diagnose pulmonary emboli, was contraindicated. The decedent’s overall medical condition continued to worsen and his physicians continued to work under the presumptive diagnosis of pneumonia.
On the fourth day of admission, the decision was made to perform an open lung biopsy to diagnose the source of the decedent’s continued decline. Heparin therapy was stopped in an anticipation of the surgery. On the day of the scheduled surgery, it was determined that decedent needed to undergo dialysis. The surgery was postponed until the following day. The Heparin was not restarted and the decedent suffered a pulmonary embolus prior to the performance of the surgery the next morning, resulting in his death.
Plaintiff contended that the presumptive diagnosis of pneumonia was wrong and that decedent was showering premonitory pulmonary emboli which ultimately culminated in the fatal pulmonary embolus. Plaintiff further contended that studies should have been performed to rule out pulmonary emboli prior to stopping the Heparin and that the open lung biopsy should not have been ordered. Additionally, the Heparin should have been resumed when the surgery was postponed.
Defendants contended that there was no evidence to suggest the existence of premonitory pulmonary emboli either clinically during the decedent’s hospitalization or based upon autopsy findings and that decedent was, in fact, suffering from pneumonia and progressive multi system organ failure and that he was going to die without the PE. Defendants further contended that it was unlikely that the PE originated from the previously diagnosed DVT in the lower extremity and that, in fact, it originated at the site of the placement of the dialysis catheter which was necessary to stabilize him for surgery. Defendants further contended that no one could say that the PE would not have occurred if the Heparin had been restarted.
Beneficiaries were decedent’s wife and three adult children. The case settled for $1,700,000. The law firm of Pierce & Thornton retained two critical care pulmonologists, a thoracic surgeon, a general surgeon, a forensic pathologist and a PhD economist to prove their client’s case.
PATIENT NOT WARNED OF HIS INCREASED RISK FOR BLOOD CLOTS DIES.
Decedent, age 49 at the time of his death, underwent an arthroscopy with synovectomy operative procedure on his left knee in 2006. Eight days post-op defendant orthopedic surgeon diagnosed decedent with an acute deep venous thrombosis involving the gastrocnemius veins of the left lower extremity. He prescribed Lovenox and Coumadin to prevent the further development of DVT and a potentially fatal pulmonary embolus. Decedent remained on anticoagulation therapy for three months with no complications.
In 2008 the same surgeon performed an arthroscopy with an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with hamstring autograft operative procedure on the decedent’s same knee. He was not placed on anticoagulation prophylaxis following the surgery. Six days post-op he acutely developed difficulty breathing with choking, chest pain and syncope. After initially recovering, while being transported to the hospital he stopped breathing and was noted to be with pulseless electrical activity. He was pronounced dead shortly after arrival at the hospital.
Plaintiff’s experts opined that decedent was at a higher than standard risk for a potentially fatal PE given his demonstrated history of DVT following the first surgery. They further opined that the second surgery was longer, involved more blood loss, a longer tourniquet time, decedent was two years older, heavier and less ambulatory; all further increasing the risk for clotting. Given all of the above, plaintiff contended that the defendant was negligent in failing to advise the decedent that he was at an increased risk for the development of DVT and PE and further negligent in failing to place him on prophylactic anticoagulation.
No autopsy was performed. Plaintiff contended that the decedent’s clinical course, prior history and terminal ECG’s were most consistent with a pulmonary embolus. The cardiac monitor strips performed on the day of death were consistent with a pulmonary embolus as the cause of a respiratory arrest and inconsistent with a myocardial infarction. The lack of pulmonary edema further supported a pulmonary embolism rather than a myocardial infarction.
Defendant’s expert orthopedic surgeon testified that the standard of care did not require the defendant to place the decedent on prophylactic chemical anticoagulation following the second surgery. He further opined that there were no definitive studies to demonstrate a reduced risk of fatal pulmonary embolism in outpatient orthopedic procedures with chemical prophylaxis/anticoagulation nor were there any guidelines published from the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons recommending prophylactic anticoagulation in patients having undergone the decedent’s type of arthroscopic procedure. Defendant contended that there was simply no consensus in orthopedic practice on the use of chemical prophylaxis in outpatient orthopedic patients.
Defendant further contended that it was speculation to conclude that the decedent’s cause of death was a pulmonary embolism. Defendant’s cardiology expert testified that the decedent’s prior EKG’s demonstrated a history of a prior myocardial infarction and that his rhythm strip on the day of his death was consistent with a myocardial infarction rather than a pulmonary embolism. He further testified that he saw no clinical signs or symptoms consistent with a pulmonary embolism.
Beneficiaries were decedent’s wife and four adult children. The law firm of Pierce & Thornton retained two orthopedic surgeons, two cardiologists, two hematologists, a forensic pathologist, a pulmonary critical care specialist and a PhD economist to prove their client’s case. The case settled two weeks prior to trial and after the completion of all experts’ depositions for $1,700,000.
Recent Study Of Medicare Patients Shows That Medical Errors Continue To Be Rampant
Virginia residents should be aware that a recent study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services covering the 15 percent of the U.S. population enrolled in Medicare found that each month one out of seven Medicare hospital patients is injured—and an estimated 15,000 are killed—by harmful medical practice....
Virginia Jury Awards More Than $10.5 Million After Truck Accident Causes Death
A jury in Charlottesville, Virginia recently awarded more than $10.5 million to the family of a woman who died after a concrete mixer truck fell on her car in 2007. The victims were a married couple from southwest Virginia who were travelling on State Route 53 when their car was crushed by a truck owned and operated by Allied Concrete Company....
Virginia Family Settles Medical Malpractice Case Against Portsmouth Naval Medical Center
According to a news reports, the federal government will pay $2.3 million to settle a medical malpractice lawsuit involving a Virginia child born with neurological damage at Portsmouth Naval Medical Center. The parents of the child alleged that inadequate care at the hospital caused their child to be born with developmental disabilities....
Study Shows That Nurses’ Long Shifts May Put Hospital Patients At Risk
Virginia residents should be aware that a recent study has shown that patients in hospitals where nurses work long hours are much more likely to die of pneumonia and heart attack. In most U.S. hospitals, nurses work 12-hour shifts exclusively, a trend that began during the 1980’s due to nationwide nursing shortages, the authors of the new study explained....
Study Shows That Hospitals Often Fail To Follow Up On Tests
Virginia residents should be aware that according to recently released study, as many as 75 percent of hospital tests are not followed up on and this failure can have serious consequences for patients, including delayed or missed diagnoses and even death. Researchers analyzed 12 international studies and found that between 20 percent and 61 percent of inpatient test results, and between 1 percent and 75 percent of tests on emergency care...
Norfolk Jury Awards $5.35 Million Verdict In Personal Injury Case
A jury in Norfolk, Virginia recently awarded a doctor beaten by a patient in a Virginia Beach psychiatric clinic a $5.35 million judgment. The award was against Psychiatric Solutions Inc. and First Hospital Corp. of Virginia Beach, the companies that own and operate the Virginia Beach Psychiatric Center, a 100-bed facility on First Colonial Road where the beating happened....
Virginia Motorcycle Fatalities Up 19 Percent
According to a recently released report by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, there are substantially more motorcyclists traveling Virginia’s roads, which has in turn contributed to an increase in fatal accidents involving motorcycles. Since 2001, DMV spokeswoman Melanie Stokes says motorcycle registration in Virginia has jumped by 105 percent....
Negligent Supervision Of Medical Residents Causes Serious Injuries To Patients
In Virginia, residents (“doctors-in-training”) at teaching hospitals may be immune from civil liability based on the ancient doctrine of sovereign immunity. National medical research, however, increasingly supports the long-held concern that lax supervision of residents at teaching hospitals contributes to patient harm, even death. “Teaching hospitals differ from other health care institutions at the systems level, with potential implications for patient safety,” according to a study published in the Archives of...
Federal Study Finds Hospital Errors Cause 15,000 Deaths Each Month
A major federal study released in November 2010 found that one in seven Medicare patients are harmed while in a U.S. hospital, and 15,000 die each month as a result of malpractice by hospitals and their employees. The report by the Health and Human Services Inspector General’s Office found that 44 percent of the disclosed errors were preventable and that they unnecessarily cost taxpayers approximately $4.4 billion per year....
Jury Returns Verdict against Nursing Home Operator for Health Code Violations
A jury recently returned a verdict in a class-action lawsuit totaling nearly $619 million against one of the largest nursing home chains in the country. Skilled Healthcare Group, Inc., which owns and operates nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, rehabilitation therapy businesses, and hospice homes, was sued for egregious and repeated violations of health codes in several states and for failing to keep staffing levels adequate....
Virginia Man Sentenced to 221 Years for Bank Robberies
A man from Chesapeake, Virginia was recently sentenced to 221 years for bank robberies and related fi****ms charges, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's office in the Eastern District of Virginia. Leonard Earl Roulhac, 39, was convicted in March of robbing or trying to rob 12 financial institutions during a six-month period in Hampton Roads (which is comprised of Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, Hampton, Newport News, Williamsburg, Suffolk,...
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