Doctors Don’t Always Pay After Medical Malpractice

After a serious medical error, the patient may be left requiring medical treatment for life. Serious injuries, including head injuries, birth injuries, and spinal cord injuries can require a lifetime of care, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars or more in medical expenses. In order to recover damages from the negligent doctor, the injury victim has to file a medical malpractice lawsuit. If the victim does not file a claim, they may be left without a way to pay for the care they need. 

When a jury awards a patient damages after a medical malpractice claim, the insurance company generally pays for the damages. If the doctor did not have enough insurance to cover the claim, the doctor may be personally liable for damages. 

In some cases, the patients may have a difficult time filing a claim because the doctor flees the country. There have been a few cases where doctors facing dozens or even hundreds of malpractice claims have left the country in an attempt to avoid the consequences of their actions. In a Maryland malpractice case, the doctor facing a lawsuit apparently fled to Pakistan. Fortunately for the patient, the court found in favor of the plaintiff and the insurance company had to answer for the actions of the doctor covered by their policy. 

Malpractice Lawsuits a Surprise for Employees

It is not always the patient who is left on the hook after a medical error. A number of employees of a dentist facing malpractice lawsuits were not even aware of the allegations until their paychecks started bouncing. Employees of a dentist in Chesapeake, Virginia had complained after their paychecks kept bouncing. One employee says she was owed $3,800 for work and could not get ahold of her former employer, Derrick Broadway.

After a local news agency reported on the unpaid employees, an investigation found multiple medical malpractice lawsuits against the dentist, claiming millions of dollars in damages. Claims against the dentist included: 

• Drill left behind inside tooth during root canal
• Permanent injury after improper dental implant
• Disfigurement for improper dental care

The state’s Department of Health Professions suspended the dentist’s license for months and fined the dentist $20,000 for questionable dental work. The dentist was later arrested on four felony counts for the bad checks. A couple of years later, the Board of Dentistry suspended the dentist’s license to practice, indicating his work represented a “substantial danger to public health and safety.”  

Dental Malpractice 

Dentists can cause serious injuries and disfigurement when they fail to provide the standard level of care. Examples of possible dental negligence that could harm a patient include:

• Improper extraction of teeth
• Failure to diagnose tooth or gum conditions
• Failure to properly treat complications of care
• Failure to properly supervise or oversee actions of employees
• Wrongfully administered anesthesia
• Failure to refer to a specialist
• Lack of informed consent

The medical malpractice and personal injury lawyers at Gilman & Bedigian represent victims of dental errors and negligent care. To discuss your case with a member of our legal team, fill out an online case evaluation form or call (866) 849-9899 today.