Next month, the Texas Supreme Court will hold an important hearing that may have a lasting impact in the state regarding medical malpractice suits and government employees. The suit, Dr. Leah Anne Gonski Marino v. Shirley Lenoir, comes from the 1st Court of Appeals in Houston, and concerns whether government employees such as medical residents can be protected from acts of their own negligence by governmental employee immunity. LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas, will be hosting the court’s oral arguments for the case the morning of February 16, 2017.
Medical malpractice suits such as surgical errors are a serious concern for patients. Although a vast majority of medical professionals provide safe and successful surgeries for their patients, surgical errors do occur, and could lead to catastrophic injuries or even death in some instances.
A careless surgeon may improperly use medical equipment or even mistakenly leave surgical equipment inside of a patient. In some cases, the surgery is done at the wrong site of a patient. In addition, improperly treated complications could lead to serious injury, a worsening condition, or serious post-surgical infections.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of a surgical error, your health is the first and foremost concern. That does not mean, however, that you should wait to see the outcome of the injury or illness before considering a medical malpractice suit. Speaking with a law professional familiar with medical malpractice suits could determine whether the incident is grounds for suit against the doctor, the medical team, as well as the hospital or medical facility that hosted the surgical procedure.
Source: Longview News-Journal, “Two cases set for Texas Supreme Court hearings in Longview,” By Special to the News-Journal, Jan. 10, 2017
