DISCLAIMER: Please note that every case is different and these verdicts and settlements, while accurate, do not represent what we may obtain for you in your case.
$10,800,000 collected from Vanderbilt University Medical Center
A 36-year-old patient involved in a car wreck needed surgery to repair his face. After admission to Vanderbilt, he was stabilized and evaluated for surgery. His surgeon requested a CT scan of the head to locate the facial fractures around the eyes. In order to immobilize the patient's head, the Vanderbilt staff administered a paralytic medication, which deprives the patient of his ability to breathe. He needed a ventilator to breathe artificially for him. A nurse and respiratory therapist transported the patient by gurney to the CT suite. They positioned the patient on the CT table and set up the equipment to monitor his vital signs. They then went into the room where the CT tech began shooting the images. It was proven at trial that the respiratory therapist failed to check the oxygen bottle before attaching the patient to the ventilator. The oxygen bottle was only half full. The patient slowly suffocated. The nurse and respiratory therapist did not monitor the patient's condition. After the CT scanning was completed, the nurse and respiratory therapist entered the CT suite. They noticed that the patient was ashen gray, not breathing, and his cardiac monitor had flat-lined. The CPR team restored the patient's heartbeat, but severe brain damage had already occurred. The patient was rendered a vegetable. After a 10-day trial, the Davidson County jury awarded the patient's family $7,400,000. The case was appealed to the Tennessee Supreme Court, which affirmed the jury's verdict. After post-judgment interest on the verdict, the family collected $10,800,000 from Vanderbilt to finance the patient's substantial medical expenses. Mercer v. Vanderbilt University, Inc.
If you would like Kelly, Kelly & Allman to evaluate your potential case, please fill out the case evaluation form below:
Kelly, Kelly and Allman
629 East Main Street
Hendersonville, TN 37075
Phone: (615) 824-3703
Fax: (615) 824-2674
Toll Free: (888) 824-3400
Get Directions
Office
Kelly, Kelly and Allman
629 East Main Street
Hendersonville, TN 37075
Phone: (615) 824-3703
Fax: (615) 824-2674
Toll Free: (888) 824-3400
