Wisconsin medical malpractice attorneys-Brown County jury verdict for family of farm laborer who died after health care workers failed to diagnosis illness.
Green Bay, WI–Wisconsin medical malpractice lawyers representing the family of a farm worker, who died after health care workers at a Bellin Family Medical Center failed to diagnose and properly treat his medical condition, recovered a $3.7 million jury verdict on Friday, October 2, 2009. As reported by the Green Bay Press Gazette, a Brown County jury sat heard arguments in a medical malpractice trial, brought by the deceased man’s family, for four days and deliberated for eight hours before returning the verdict against Bellin Health System and Dr. Peri Aldrich.
According to court documents, Gustavo Espinal-Santos, a farm worker, went to the Bellin Family Medical Center in Bonduel on two occasions in December of 2003 seeking medical care for his symptoms and illness. He was evaluated and treated by two physician assistants who diagnosed the fatally ill farm worker with pneumonia. Brown County medical malpractice attorneys, representing Espinal-Santos’ surviving family, argued basic X-ray tests and other routine diagnostic testing was not performed. Tragically, Espinal-Santos had contracted blastomycosis, a fungal infection commonly transmitted through water and soil. The ill farm laborer was admitted to St. Vincent Hospital on December 23, 2003, where diagnostic tests and evaluations determined he was suffering form blastomycosis. The diagnosis was too late for medical personnel at St. Vincent’s to save his life and he died on January 1, 2004, from the fungal infection.
Espinal-Santos leaves a grieving widow and two young daughters. Wisconsin’s medical malpractice damages cap will reduce the justifiable multiple million dollar verdict recovered by his surviving wife and young daughters ages 10 and 5. Bellin Health issued a statement on the day of the verdict maintaining the care their hospital staff provided was appropriate and followed established medical protocols. The hospital may appeal the Brown County jury verdict is they so decide.
Wisconsin medical malpractice lawyer alerts by legal news reporter Heather L. Ryan.