compensation

Ruling reverses decades-old medical malpractice limitation

Published on: November 26, 2014 | by Patrick E. Knie

No one who goes on a cruise really expects that they will get sick or injured on the journey. Still, it is nice to know that cruise ships have doctors and nurses on board who can treat illnesses or injuries that do occur. Until recently, those doctors and nurses effectively operated independently because of a ruling almost 30 years ago that gave immunity to the cruise lines in the event of medical malpractice aboard a ship.

In a ruling that came from the United States 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, that immunity has been reversed. In that ruling, the court said that the 1988 decision was outdated, partly because of the considerable updates and advances in technology. The judge who made the recent ruling noted that the medical facilities on cruise ships are for-profit operations. These facilities on the ship are usually the only option that passengers have when they need medical care.

Trial for death of South Carolina mayor set for August

Published on: August 1, 2014 | by Patrick E. Knie

A lawsuit against the Town of Cottageville involving the shooting death of a former mayor is scheduled to be begin in federal court on August 11. According to reports, the children of the former mayor of Cottageville initially filed the suit in 2012 against the town, the police department and a former police officer in response to the mayor’s shooting death by the officer, then with the Cottageville Police Department, in May 2011.

The suit alleges that the officer shot the former mayor in the chest during a confrontation and subsequent struggle, and it claims negligence on the part of the town and department in hiring the officer in 2008. The officer, who reportedly no longer works for the CPD, is accused of targeting the former mayor, behavior that ultimately led to the shooting.

Gaffney woman killed in hit and run near assisted living facility

Published on: March 10, 2014 | by Patrick E. Knie

Residents of assisted living facilities are generally allowed to come and go as they please. They may be asked to sign in and out so that staff members are aware of the residents’ whereabouts, but assisted living facilities typically offer residents more mobility than would a nursing home. However, depending on the circumstances of a particular case, negligence on the part of facility staff could still factor into why a resident suffered injuries.

In the wake of a fatal hit-and-run accident, the family members of a Gaffney woman are looking for answers as to why their loved one was taken from them. The 46-year-old woman was reportedly hit by a pickup truck as she walked on the road near the assisted living facility where she resided.

Surgical glove found in patient two years later, lawsuit pending

Published on: December 31, 2013 | by Patrick E. Knie

It’s just about every person’s fear that something will go wrong when they go in for surgery. That’s because, despite the insistence of hospital staff that patients are well taken care of, residents here in South Carolina know that medical mistakes can happen anywhere and often have life-changing consequences as well.

Our readers here in Spartanburg can see this exemplified by a case of medical malpractice in which a woman was diagnosed with ovarian cancer only to realize that this was a misdiagnosis when a non-latex glove was discovered in her abdomen from a surgery two years previously. Much like anyone here would do in her situation, the woman is now suing the hospital for its negligence and is seeking compensation for the problems this mistake has caused her.