Jury Awards over $10 million to young boy after hospital’s failure to diagnose meningitis
In December of 2009, a mother took her young son to the ER at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for several days of feverish symptoms. He was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection and sent home. Over the following two days, the boy’s mother took him back twice with increased severity in his symptoms, including high fever and abnormal breathing and heart rate. On the third visit, a blood test was finally taken which revealed bacterial meningitis, which was treated with antibiotics, albeit too late, as permanent brain damage already set in.
During trial, the family’s attorney argued, and the jury agreed, that the hospital personnel should have acted sooner to test for a bacterial infection given the warning signs and symptoms the boy presented with. Now 7 years old, the boy is functioning like a 3-year-old, has hearing loss, language disorder, developmental and learning delays and is expected to be forever functionally illiterate. The jury entered a verdict of $10.1 million dollars for future medical care, future loss of earnings and pain and suffering.
Read the article at Philly.com.