Jaclyn Jones Obtained a Defense Verdict in a Medical Malpractice case in Hillsborough County

Jaclyn Jones obtained a defense verdict for a Pediatric Emergency Medicine physician in a medical malpractice case in Hillsborough County. Plaintiffs alleged that the Pediatric Emergency Medicine physician acted with reckless disregard by failing to timely and appropriately intubate an 18-year-old patient, who arrived at the hospital with a swelling throat due to a rare hereditary condition, which resulted in the patient’s death almost a week later. Plaintiffs alleged that the patient was intubated by anesthesia in the ER, within roughly 45 minutes after arrival at the hospital, and that our client should not have waited for anesthesia, but rather, intubated herself, and sooner. Shortly after intubation, the endotracheal tube became dislodged, and the patient was reintubated during CPR. The Plaintiffs in the case, the patient’s parents, sued for wrongful death damages, requesting $40 Million Dollars from the physician, and her employer and the hospital for vicarious liability of the Pediatric Emergency Medicine physician’s alleged reckless disregard.

At trial, the defense presented evidence that the physician acted quickly and appropriately in her care and treatment of the patient. In triage, the patient could not talk and his only communication with the Pediatric Emergency Medicine physician was a few short letters typed out on is phone, an acronym for his hereditary condition. She called for anesthesia to assist with intubation of the difficult airway and was about to intubate herself when anesthesia walked in and quickly intubated on the first attempt. Our retained Pediatric Emergency Medicine expert testified that the intubation not only occurred quickly, but likely 7 minutes after the Pediatric Emergency Medicine physician first saw the patient in triage. Further, the defense established that an endotracheal tube becoming dislodged is a known complication and likely occurred shortly after a chest x-ray confirmed appropriate endotracheal tube depth. The patient’s oxygen saturations and HR started dropping after the x-ray, and the Pediatric Emergency Medicine physician recognized the issue and heroically started CPR. The patient was reintubated during CPR and there was a return of spontaneous circulation shortly thereafter. The defense expert testified that the Pediatric Emergency Medicine physician did not act with reckless disregard.

Three (3) months prior to the patient’s presentation to the ER, he had stopped taking the medication prescribed for his hereditary condition, which historically prevented laryngeal swelling. The defense established that the decedent likely waited hours or even a day, after onset of symptoms, before coming to the hospital after the episode began. The defense expert established that the failure to take his medications was the cause of his death.

After a short deliberation, the jury returned a verdict for the defendants having found that the Pediatric Emergency Medicine physician did not act with reckless disregard in her care and treatment of the patient. After rejecting reasonable offers of settlement, the plaintiffs were not awarded any monies by the jurors.