Our Attorneys Help Victims Of Medical Malpractice
When you enter a hospital, clinic, or other health care facility, you expect to leave with an improvement in your condition. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Sometimes people suffer serious injuries or die as the result of the care they did or didn’t receive.
If you feel you have fallen victim to a case of medical malpractice, you have the right to take action. For more than 30 years, the attorneys at the Tampa, Florida, office of Valenzuela Law Firm, P.A., have assisted individuals and families in seeking compensation for injuries and deaths caused by medical errors. We hold doctors, nurses and pharmacists to certain standards.
Get The Medical Malpractice Representation You Need
Medical malpractice litigation is a highly specialized area of trial law. For the past 30 years, Valenzuela Law Firm, P.A., has served as lead counsel on many of Florida’s most significant medical malpractice verdicts and settlements.
We have the trial experience and resources necessary to aggressively investigate and pursue claims for catastrophic injuries and death arising out of:
- Failure to diagnose cancer and other diseases
- Birth injuries, including cerebral palsy and Erb’s palsy
- Misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of cancer and other diseases
- Nurse errors
- Radiology errors
- Surgical errors
- Patient dumping
- Medication errors
Contact Us If You Or A Loved One Has Suffered Due To Medical Negligence
Call 813-217-5613, or complete our online contact form to schedule a free consultation to discuss your medical malpractice case. We do not charge attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.
Learn more: What constitutes medical malpractice.
Medical Malpractice Case Results
$3.25 Million Settlement in Medical Malpractice Action Against Nurse Midwife For Failing To Timely Deliver Baby
The Plaintiff was a young female delivering her second child. The first was delivered by c-section. This time she desired a vaginal birth. She engaged the services of a midwife to perform the delivery. During the labor non-reassuring signs and symptoms of a cord compression became apparent. Plaintiff alleged the midwife negligently delayed notifying the mother’s treating OB/GYN of these signs and symptoms resulting in a delayed delivery. As a result, the child suffered a form of brain damage. The midwife denied she was negligent, argued the baby’s injuries were caused by a preexisting condition and blamed other healthcare providers. The case settled shortly before trial for $ 3.25 million.
$2.8 Million Settlement In Medical Malpractice Action Against Physicians And Hospital For Failing To Timely Provide Liver Transplant
The plaintiff was an adult male who presented to the hospital emergency department with signs and symptoms of acute liver failure. Subsequently, he was diagnosed with acute liver failure and admitted for treatment. No cause was determined so the only treatment available was a liver transplant. Unfortunately, due to a series of medical and administrative errors a delay occurred in obtaining funding for the liver transplant. By the time the funding was in place and the plaintiff was transplanted, the liver failure had caused the plaintiff to develop a hypoxic encephalopathy. This condition subsequently led to his death. He was survived by a single minor child. The case settled shortly before trial for $2.8 million.
$11 Million Settlement In Medical Malpractice Action Against Physicians And Hospital For Failing To Timely Diagnose And Treat Stroke
The plaintiff was an adult male who presented to the hospital emergency department with signs and symptoms of a stroke. The triage nurse examined the plaintiff and diagnosed a stroke but failed to inform the emergency room physicians of this view.
The emergency room physicians at first believed the plaintiff’s condition was due to illicit drugs. This was possibly due to the emergency department’s history of treating patients with drug-related presentations. However, the plaintiff’s family denied any history of illicit drug consumption. A routine CT was ordered and performed that was misread as normal when in actuality it showed two clots in the brain. Ultimately, all lab work and toxicology screens proved negative ruling out illicit drugs.
Because the emergency room physicians did not connect the plaintiff’s symptoms with a stroke presentation, no stroke alert was called. Instead, the plaintiff was admitted to the floor with a diagnosis of general encephalopathy and an order for a neurology consultation. Subsequently, the plaintiff’s condition worsened causing him to fall out of bed. Another CT was performed that was again misread as normal.
The plaintiff’s condition continued to deteriorate until the plaintiff’s wife insisted on the performance of an MRI. An MRI was performed that detected the subject blood clots and led to the stroke’s diagnosis. Unfortunately, by this time no medicinal or surgical treatments were available to treat the stroke. Also, the plaintiff developed increased intracranial pressures requiring in the performance of a craniotomy to relieve the pressure and another surgery to reimplant a section of his skull that was removed as part of the craniotomy. After that the plaintiff went through extensive rehabilitation and ultimately reached maximum medical improvement.
He was left with severe physical and cognitive impairments. He will never use his arms, walk or speak normally again. He also will never work again in any capacity. He is married with two children. The defendants denied any negligence arguing that the plaintiff’s complaints were not specific enough to point to a stroke and further that even if they were negligent there were no treatments available that would have avoided or significantly lessened the plaintiff’s ultimate injuries. The case settled before trial for a total of $11 million.
$7,000,000 Settlement For Catastrophic Internal Injuries Caused By Failed Radio Frequency Ablation Procedure
The plaintiff was a 63-year-old male diagnosed with a suspicious kidney mass. His urologist referred him to a hospital interventional radiology department for consultation regarding the mass. The interventional radiologists recommended the mass be biopsied and eliminated using radio frequency ablation. The interventional radiologist negligently performed the ablation procedure causing a perforation to the plaintiff’s colon and duodenum. This led to catastrophic injuries, including the loss of function to both kidneys, massive infections, damage to his heart, multiple fistulas and other injuries. The interventional radiologists and hospital denied any negligence. The case settled for $7,000,000 shortly before trial.
$3.25 Million Settlement In Medical Malpractice Action Against Physicians And Hospital For Failing To Timely Diagnose And Treat Spinal Epidural Abscess
The plaintiff was an adult male who developed complaints of mid back pain. A series of physicians attributed his pain to soft tissue disorders of the spine. His physicians recommended pain management. Before his pain management appointment could take place, the plaintiff developed severe and unrelenting acute mid back pain that required hospitalization.
His treating physicians managed his back pain medically pending his pain management appointment. However, during the four-day hospitalization his complaints worsened from pain to bilateral weakness in the arms, to chest numbness to ultimately paralysis of both legs. No action was taken to investigate the progressing complaints until the plaintiff could not walk.
At that time, an emergency MRI was performed that revealed a spinal epidural abscess. That led to emergency back surgery to remove the abscess and other surgeries. However, by the time the surgery was performed, it was too late to reverse the bilateral leg paralysis. Plaintiff was left with a permanent paralysis of both legs.
The plaintiff alleged the hospital nurses and multiple treating physicians were negligent by failing to timely appreciate, investigate, diagnose and treat the abscess. The defendants denied any negligence, blamed each other and further argued the abscess was not treatable. The case had unique challenges because the physicians carried low liability insurance coverage. The case settled globally for $3.25 million prior to trial.
$2.5 Million Settlement In Medical Malpractice Action Against Hospital And Physicians For Failing To Timely Diagnose And Treat Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura
The plaintiff was an adult woman who developed thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura or TTP. She went to the hospital emergency department and was subsequently admitted to the floor. Due to a series of delays and miscommunications, the plaintiff never received any treatment for the condition for approximately 12 hours. As a result, she died leaving a husband and multiple survivors. The plaintiff alleged the hospital and multiple treating physicians were negligent for failing to timely diagnose and treat the TTP. The defense denied any negligence and further argued the TTP was not treatable. The case settled for $2.5 million prior to trial.
$1,000,000 Settlement For Wrongful Death Of 67-Year-Old Husband For Failing To Appreciate Signs And Symptoms Of A Cardiac Tamponade
The plaintiff was a 67-year-old married man who passed out at home and was taken to an emergency department by ambulance. He was diagnosed with complete heart block and underwent the placement of a pacemaker. Following the insertion of the pacemaker, the man developed chest pain and then the pacemaker stopped functioning. Throughout the evening and night, in addition to continued chest pain, the man’s blood pressure dropped, he developed nausea and vomiting and shortness of breath.
The hospital’s nurses failed to notify the cardiologist of these changes. In the early morning, the man had cardiac arrest. During the course of resuscitation, he was diagnosed with a cardiac tamponade secondary to one of the pacemaker wires perforating the heart. As a result of the cardiac arrest, the man suffered irreversible brain damage, was ultimately disconnected from life support and subsequently died. The defendants offered arbitration. The case settled for $1,000,000.
$700,000 Settlement For Wrongful Death Of Eight-Month-Old Special Needs Child
The plaintiff was an eight-month-old special needs child on a ventilator under the care of a home health care nurse while the parents were sleeping. The parents woke up to the nurse screaming for someone to call 911. The parents came running out into the living room and found their child lying blue and unresponsive on his boppy-pillow on the couch. The nurse continued to scream hysterically as the mother began trouble shooting the equipment and providing oxygenation to the child.
Meanwhile, the father called 911. The mother began CPR until EMS arrived. Once EMS arrived, they continued CPR, but were never able to get a pulse. Upon arrival at the hospital emergency room, the physician found that the tracheostomy tube was clogged. As a result, the baby had suffered irreversible brain damage, was ultimately disconnected from life support and subsequently died. The defendants offered to arbitrate. The case settled for $700,000.
More Results For Medical Malpractice
$2.8 Million Settlement In Medical Malpractice Action Against Physicians and Hospital For Failing To Timely Provide Liver Transplant
$11 Million Settlement In Medical Malpractice Action Against Physicians And Hospital For Failing To Timely Diagnose And Treat Stroke
$1.25 Million Settlement In Medical Malpractice Action Against Physicians And Hospital For Failing To Timely Diagnose And Treat Spinal Epidural Abscess
$7,000,000 Settlement For Catastrophic Internal Injuries Caused By Failed Radio Frequency Ablation Procedure
$4,125,000 Settlement In Medical Malpractice Action Against Hospital For Failure To Appreciate Uterine Hyperstimulation And Cephalopelvic Disproportion
$3,750,000 Settlement In Medical Malpractice Action Against Physician And Hospital For Negligent Administration Of Pitocin Causing Permanent Brain Damaged To Infant
$3.25 Million Settlement In Medical Malpractice Action Against Physicians And Hospital For Failing To Timely Diagnose And Treat Spinal Epidural Abscess
$2.5 Million Settlement In Medical Malpractice Action Against Hospital And Physicians For Failing To Timely Diagnose And Treat Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura
$1,550,000 Settlement In Medical Malpractice Action Against Hospital Emergency Department, Radiologists And Neurologists Occupational For Failing To Diagnose An Epidural Thoracic Hematoma
$1,500,000 Settlement Against Hospital For Nursing Catheter Intubation Error
$1,250,000 Settlement In Medical Malpractice Action Against Hospital For Overdose Of Dilaudid
$1,240,000 Settlement In Medical Malpractice Wrongful Death Action Against Physicians And Hospital For Failing To Timely Diagnose And Treat Cerebral Edema Following Neurosurgery
$1,000,000 Settlement For Wrongful Death Of 67-Year-Old Husband For Failing To Appreciate Signs And Symptoms Of A Cardiac Tamponade
$1,000,000 Settlement In Medical Malpractice Action Against Physicians And Hospital For Failing To Timely Diagnose And Treat Brain Tumor In Minor Patient
$1,000,000 Settlement In Medical Malpractice Action Against Physicians For Performing Tonsillectomy On Nine Year Old With Severe Sleep Apnea.
$1 Million Settlement In Medical Malpractice Action Against Physicians And Hospital For Failing To Timely Diagnose And Treat Aspirin Overdose In Infant.
$700,000 Settlement For Wrongful Death Of Eight-Month-Old Special Needs Child
$600,000 Settlement in Medical Malpractice Action Against Anesthesiologist And CRNA For Puncturing Spinal Cord
$575,000 Settlement For Wrongful Death Of 80 Year Old Due To Untreated Decubitus Ulcers
$565,000 Settlement In Wrongful Death Action Against Nursing Home Failing To Treat Decubitus Ulcer
$550,000 Settlement In Motor Vehicle Accident Action Against British Tourists
$2,000,000 Settlement In Medical Malpractice Action Against Hospital For Delayed Reaction To Low Blood Pressure
$1,000,000 Settlement In Medical Malpractice Action Against Occupational Medicine Physicians And ARNPs For Failing To Diagnose Thoracic Disc Herniation
For More Information
Call 813-217-5613 to talk to a Florida medical malpractice lawyer today.
