M.A. was 76 years old when he was first admitted to a skilled nursing facility for rehabilitation after knee surgery. M.A. underwent physical therapy and began to recover.
He later developed shortness of breath and was administered oxygen and other therapy.
Over the next several days, M.A. experienced shortness of breath, which continued, sweating and a gray skin tone.
A nurse called M.A.’s primary care physician to report these symptoms after a few days. The doctor ordered a D-dimer test to rule out a blood clot. Before the test could be administered, M.A. collapsed and died from a pulmonary embolism. M.A. is survived by his wife and four adult children.
M.A.’s family sued the nursing home and the primary care physician claiming failure to timely diagnose and treat the pulmonary embolism. The lawsuit alleged that the nursing home’s employees chose not to timely report M.A.’s symptoms to a doctor and the primary care physician failed to review M.A.’s chart.
The physician settled confidentially before the trial. The jury entered a verdict in favor of the M.A. family in an amount of $1.06 million finding that the nursing home was 85% at fault and the primary care provider 15% at fault.
The attorneys representing M.A.’s family were Lisa M. Kimmel and Thabet N. Khalidi.
M.A. v. Tucson Mather Plaza, No. C-2012-02716 (Ariz. Super. Ct. Pima County).
Kreisman Law Offices has been handling nursing home abuse cases, nursing home negligence case, wrongful death cases and medical negligence cases for individuals and families who have been harmed, injured or died as a result of the carelessness or negligence of a medical provider for more than 38 years in and around Chicago, Cook County and its surrounding areas, including Westchester, Morton Grove, Midlothian, Norridge, Northlake, Elgin, Dixmoor, Crete, Countryside, Country Club Hills, Chicago Ridge, Barrington, South Barrington, Thornton, Tinley Park and Western Springs, Ill.
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