Allegations of Incompetence Leading to Permanent Spinal Cord Damage
COLUMBUS, Ga. – July 19, 2019 – Bell Law Firm, Georgia’s preeminent law firm for victims of medical malpractice, today confirms the filing of an amended complaint in Georgia case against John Robert Wall, DO, and Columbus Regional Healthcare.
According to the complaint, Midtown Medical Center has admitted egregious incompetence in a variety of aspects critical to patient safety. Specifically, the complaint alleges that Midtown Medical has admitted:
“(a) that they do not develop and maintain policies and procedures to ensure patient safety,
(b) that they’re so disorganized they don’t even know what policies they have,
(c) that they can’t find basic information in their own medical records, and
(d) that they don’t have access to even the most elementary medical expertise on which the safety of their patients depends.”
The complaint cites multiple admissions by Midtown Medical, signed by Midtown’s lawyers, confessing ignorance of whether Midtown has policies for supervising new doctors, confessing ignorance of basic patient information, and confessing ignorance of basic medical facts.
The complaint arises from permanent injury to the spinal cord of Kristin Boeckh — a thirty-three year old woman at Midtown Medical to give birth to her first child. The complaint alleges that Dr. Wall attempted to give Boeckh an epidural, but injected the needle or catheter into the Conus Medullaris, a bundle of spinal cord nerves located at the base of the spinal cord. The impact injured Boeckh’s spinal cord, causing serious, permanent injury.
According to the complaint, Dr. Wall’s admissions in the ongoing lawsuit reveal “alarming ignorance” of basic facts — for example, that “injury to the Conus Medullaris of the spinal cord by a needle or catheter can cause serious, permanent harm to the spinal cord.”
When he tried to give the epidural, Dr. Wall was only 34 days past his training at Larkin Community Hospital. According to the complaint, Midtown Medical should have — but did not — ensure Dr. Wall attempted an epidural only with the supervision of a more experienced doctor.
Midtown Medical Center is owned by Columbus Regional Healthcare System, Inc. and by Piedmont Healthcare, Inc.
“Both the physician and Midtown Medical Center failed Kristin Boeckh and her family,” comments Bell. “Perhaps even more alarming, though, are the admissions of Midtown Medical and Dr. Wall — which indicate broader problems that should matter to anyone who may end up at Midtown Medical.”For more information about Bell Law Firm’s success in helping people hurt by medical malpractice, visit: www.belllawfirm.com/results.
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About Bell Law Firm
Bell Law Firm is Georgia’s preeminent firm for victims of medical malpractice. Founded in 1999 by Lloyd Bell, the firm has recovered more than $100 million for patients and families of people injured or killed due to medical negligence. Bell has more than 25 years of experience in federal and state courts, and he has represented clients in more than 80 jury trials and hundreds of successful settlements. Specializing in litigating misdiagnoses, surgical errors, and other types of malpractice, Bell Law firm differentiates itself with deep legal expertise, a mastery of technology in the courtroom and a compelling manner of storytelling. In 2018, Daily Report, the leading source of legal news in Atlanta, named Bell Law Firm as Personal Injury Litigation Team of the Year.
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