Having a loved one not feel well can cause anxiety and worry, and going to the doctor is often seen as a road to a possible solution that can make the ill person well again in Louisiana. However, in some instances, the opposite occurs: The doctor ends up making the problem worse and even causing death due to medical malpractice, thus turning the family members’ lives upside down. A doctor recently has been sued after a woman claimed that his failure to properly care for her husband led to her husband’s death.
The woman said that the man tried to seek psychiatric help from experts at a counseling center for a year. However, he never was able to been seen by a psychiatrist, she said. Instead, the man was given a physician assistant to care for him.
The woman did not think that a doctor was involved enough in her 54-year-old husband’s case. Her husband was suffering from depression as well as paranoia and anxiety. He spent time in a psychiatric ward and was discharged with drugs before ultimately committing suicide.
If the doctor is found to have been negligent in the man’s case, compensatory damages could be awarded to the woman. Punitive damages may also be possible in such a medical malpractice case. Residents in Louisiana who win these types of cases can use the money to cover funeral costs and other end-of-life expenses. It can also help to cover anyone who was dependent on the deceased person financially and help family members to move on from the traumatic experience.
Source: tribune-democrat.com, “Widow files lawsuit over husband’s 2010 death,” Kathy Mellott, Nov. 6, 2013