A 15 year old boy was struck by a car while riding his bicycle. He was taken to a hospital where he underwent surgery to repair a broken femur. Following a successful surgery he was taken to the orthopedic surgical floor. Thereafter, the boy went unmonitored by nursing for approximately 4 hours. During this time he developed a known complication consisting of a fat embolus which caused him to become hypoxic, go into respiratory distress and ultimately die. His mother was his only survivor. A wrongful death action against the hospital was filed based on nursing negligence. The case ultimately settled for $3.5 million dollars.