Medical Malpractice | InjuryBoard Portland

Most people have their wisdom teeth removed -- the 3rd molars. If the teeth are removed wrong a patient can leave the oral surgery or dental office with a permanently numb tongue. The lingual nerve provides sensation, including taste, to the tongue.If your tongue is still numb the day after your wisdom teeth have been removed, you should report the problem to the dentist or oral surgeon who...

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An article in Time magazine discusses a doctor's new book on why doctors make medical mistakes. The research found that 80% of medical mistakes are due to thinking errors on the part of the doctors and 20% are due to technical errors.The book is "How Doctors Think" and is a good read for anyone trying to get the best possible care and help protect him/herself from medical errors.

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A medical malpractice lawsuit brought by Notre Dame Coach Charlie Weis has been declared a mistrial after two defendant doctors helped a juror who had collapsed during testimony.The unidentified gentleman began to moan before he collapsed during testimony by an expert defense witness.Weis' attorney moved for mistrial after the juror was removed from the courtroom to be taken to the hospital....

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For many years, physicians groups in Oregon and nationally have railed about a malpractice crisis said to be the cause of driving up costs and forcing doctors to close shop.But a study published on Wednesday suggests malpractice damage awards have declined considerably in recent years.Consumer advocacy group Public Citizen mined the federal government's National Practitioner Data Bank to track...

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Many are praising a judge's recent refusal to seal a medical malpractice settlement and are encouraging others to take the same stance. The judge's decision in the case went against the common practice within the legal community of allowing medical malpractice settlements of lawsuits to be filed confidentially.Defendants often request medical malpractice settlements be confidential and try to...

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A Portland, Oregon jury returned a $1.4 million dollar verdict in a medical malpractice case today against Oregon Health Sciences University. The medical malpractice case is significant because it is the first verdict in Oregon since the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled that individual doctors at OHSU can be sued beyond the tort claims cap of $100,000 non-economic damages and $100,000 economic...

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In June, Jane Paulson won a $600,000 verdict for injury to our client's lingual nerve from a wisdom tooth extraction. The defense filed a motion for new trial which was heard and rejected yesterday by the court. The defense now plans to appeal the lingual nerve injury verdict.The lingual nerve is on the tongue side of your teeth and can be permanently damaged if a dentist errs, most often by...

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Trial began this week in the first medical malpractice trial against OHSU in Oregon since last month when the Oregon Court of Appeals overruled the cap (in another malpractice case). Ken Ackerman, a former Portland TV anchorman, is the plaintiff and is suing Oregon Health & Science University for medical malpractice from a back surgery. There is a tort claim cap in Oregon, against valid public...

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On July 26, 2006, our firm successfully concluded a case which involved both a medication error and medical malpractice. Our client was placed on Coumadin, a blood thinner, due to a rare clotting factor in her blood. Her doctor erred by taking her off the medication and she had a life-altering stroke, permanently disabling her.On April 29, 2005 Jane Doe sustained a massive stroke to the brain...

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Five year old Alexis Hayes' cerebral palsy, lack of speech and need for a wheelchair came as a result of medical malpractice, an Ohio jury ruled last week. The jury awarded Hayes' family nearly $18 million for what they deemed was an anesthesiologist's error. The injuries occurred as Alexis was about to undergo surgery to remove a benign cyst on her neck.The hospital, which settled out of court...

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Paulson Law firm has recieved a verdict for $600,000 in a claim last month against Willamette Dental. The damages awarded were for a lingual nerve injury. Our client's nerve was damaged during a routine wisdom tooth extraction, which left him with numbness and shooting, burning pain, a tingling sensation, and a throbbing pain in this tongue. He also experiences difficulty biting and using his...

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Though a state law limits jury awards against public agencies to $200,000, the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled on July 5 that the family of a brain-damaged child could sue for millions of dollars. The family of Jordaan Michael Clarke sued Oregon Health & Science University for more than $17 million alleging their boy suffered permanent brain damage in 1998 due to medical malpractice while a...

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A sixty-seven year-old Portland man was killed this weekend when his Ford Explorer rolled over during a crash in North Portland around North Chautauqua Blvd. and North Columbia Blvd.According to police, the man who was killed was slowly changing lanes when he struck another vehicle going in the same direction. The vehicle he struck ended up with minimal damage, but the man's Ford Explorer...

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My colleague in Phoenix, Randall Udelman, takes issue with Arizona senator Jon Kyl. Kyl wants to solve the "medical malpractice crisis" by trying with medical malpractice cases without juries. I agree with Randy that this is a ridiculous idea. Be sure to check out his comprehensive medical malpractice and tort reform section.

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Caps "fix" high jury verdicts by cutting down the ones where the jury finds that the reasonable amount of the damages is a number larger than the cap. Caps do not fix high premiums. States with caps have premiums that are similar to those without caps.High malpractice premiums have to do with how insurance companies work. Long ago, I thought the formula was premiums less claims and...

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