Jacksonville Personal Injury Blog

Cory Fine was 41-years-old and overweight. The University of North Florida business school professor was so unhappy with his weight that he decided to undergo gastric bypass surgery at Shands at the University of Florida. That was 2002. Fine never made it out of the hospital.

On Thursday, August 12, an Alachua County jury returned a $6.2 million medical malpractice verdict to Fine’s widow and son.

Was it malpractice? The attorney for the family said definitely yes. The surgery went well, but then Fine had some breathing difficulties. It is very easy for a nurse to check a person’s oxygen saturation levels, in other words how much oxygen they are taking in and how effectively their heart is working.

But for some reason when Fine went to radiology for a CT scan, no one checked his levels. Even though he told technicians he felt he was dying and couldn’t breathe if he laid down flat, he was told to lie down on the table. No doctor checked Mr. Fine either as he lay on the table awaiting the CT scan. Fine died on the table. News 4 Jax reports he died of cardiac arrhythmia due to a lack of oxygen.

He was right - he was dying, but no one listened. Fine is survived by his wife Lisa and Tyler, his son, 10.

Shands had no comment to the Gainesville Sun.

Shands is expected to appeal the verdict which will hold it up for more years after waiting 10 years to get to trial. Justice delayed is justice denied, and the family has already waited eight years for justice. Now they get to wait longer.

If you or a loved one has been injured by the medical profession, the experienced Florida medical malpractice attorneys at Farah & Farah will meet and discuss the specifics of your situation to determine if there are any avenues to hold the at-fault party responsible for your injury and expenses.

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Flagler Hospital in St. Augustine is one of a few hospitals across the country that has installed a new high-tech device to cut down on antibiotic resistance staph infection, MRSA. Workers just wave their hands beneath a sensor to find the drug resistant form of staph.

The good news is that it appears to be working as do other efforts nationwide to cut down on hospital-acquired infections from the antibiotic-resistant bacteria, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.

A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that hospital-acquired MRSA cases dropped by 28 percent between 2005 and 2008. The study is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

MRSA rates also declined by 17% among nine metro area outpatient settings.

Flagler Hospital’s director of infection prevention reports the sensor works by picking up the scent of alcohol, used to kill bacteria and a common ingredient in soaps and gels. If the employee did not wash his hands, the sensor will vibrate their badge as a reminder to wash their hands before seeing the patient. The sensor was developed at the University of Florida.

Unfortunately, doctors and nurses sometimes skip this important step. MRSA can introduce untreatable infections internally that can invade organs and get into the bloodstream where they can be fatal. When this happens, Jacksonville medical malpractice attorneys can help.

Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, has also made infection control a priority. Hand washing is scored and publicly posted. A team of specialists monitors central IV lines that can be a source of infection. At Mayo, the overall cases of MRSA have reportedly dropped from 20 last June to eight this year.

At Flagler Hospital in St. Augustine, the HyGreen system will be installed in the next month in the 24 bed intensive-care unit at considerable cost. The hospital has already spent $500,000 so far on HyGreen.

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Two reports were released July 20, by the American Medical Association (AMA) that should help doctors optimize the quality of patient safety. Physicians believe the AMA is the best source to cut through all of the information that’s out there and to serve as a reliable guide for physicians concerning patient safety.

The first report, “Physician’s Guide to Patient Safety Organizations” is a guide to patient safety organizations (PSOs). It encourages doctors to join the organizations and provides a guide to learning about adverse safety events. It provides a glossary, a safety checklist, and work-flow model. Safety checklists have been shown to cut down on medical errors.

The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 established a voluntary, confidential, and privileged means for doctors and others in health care to voluntarily report problems and learn from them. Often a doctor or nurse will hold back on reporting a colleague for fear of losing their job or out of respect for their co-worker.

The second report “Advancing Ambulatory Quality Improvement: Results of focus groups with medical societies,” funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, lays out the role of medical societies in establishing “best practices” that stress safety and the delivery of quality care in a doctor’s office.

The AMA encourages doctors to understand the Patient Safety Act and to participate in a PSO as a way to learn from the experiences of others. The AMA has convened a Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement which has developed 270 evidence-based quality improvements that doctors can incorporate into their practices.

Medical malpractice kills an estimated 100,000 Americans every year and can range from leaving an instrument in a patient, under diagnosing, misdiagnosing, failing to deliver timely medical care, and prescription errors. Hospital infections kill almost as many patients every year.

These are all preventable medical errors and the basis for medical malpractice lawsuits that are filed following one in eight cases of medical malpractice in Florida and nationwide. Instead of blaming lawyers for filing those cases, or the injured patient who is already suffering from their effects, taking some personal responsibility for medical errors is the proper response for physicians and hospitals.

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A Florida doctor is facing a $5,000 fine for removing the wrong organ from a patient. Dr. Bernard Zaragoza of Coral Springs removed a healthy kidney rather than the gallbladder that he had intended to remove. The Harvard-trained doctor says he made a mistake in thinking that the kidney was the gallbladder during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The Florida Board of Medicine levied the fine. In addition to the fine, Dr. Zaragoza will have to serve 50 hours of community service and has to pay the state $25,000 for the investigation it launched into the medical error which occurred in October 2007 in Margate, Florida at Northwest Medical Center.

The medical board ruled that this was an error and a violation of the Florida Medical Practice Act even though the patient, an 83-year-old man, did have an unusual anatomy with the kidney located where his gallbladder should have been.

The patient died of heart failure three weeks later. The board members felt that the surgeon was a capable professional, who was not inept or careless, despite the error.

Dr. Zaragoza is a summa cum laude graduate of University of Miami and earned his medical degree from Harvard. He did his five-year residency at New York Medical College's Westchester County Medical Center and is board-certified in general surgery, according to Health News Florida.

Hospital errors take an estimated 98,000 lives a year. When patients sue doctors and hospitals, the first response from the business community it to cap any damages the injured may receive. That just adds insult to injury. It would be far better to eliminate the medical error in the first place.

If you or a loved one has been injured due to a medical error, there are many things to consider, as this story highlights. A consultation with a Jacksonville medical malpractice lawyer may provide you with the information you need to decide how to proceed. A consultation is always comprehensive and complimentary.

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Former Miami Dolphin O.J. McDuffie, has won his Florida medical malpractice case against the team doctor and been awarded $11.5 million. Wednesday, May 5, the case concluded in Miami-Dade Circuit Court. Dr. John Uribe is the former team doctor for the Dolphins. The player said the doctor was negligent when McDuffie injured his left big toe in 1999 and an MRI showed the injury was serious. The Dolphins doctor told McDuffie that the exam was inclusive and failed to tell him that the MRI showed severe ligament damage from a rupture. A Miami-Herald report states that the toe injury worsened and McDuffie continued to play, say his lawyers.

After nine years with the Dolphins and three surgeries on the toe, he was released by the team in February, 2002. His lawyers say that Dr. Uribe was guilty of malpractice and gross negligence in Florida and ultimately cost McDuffie millions in lost earnings. The award covered $10 million in lost earnings and $1.5 million for anguish, reports the Associated Press. Dr. Uribe calls the ruling a travesty and plant an appeal.

McDuffie had been with the Dolphins for nine years. He was a 1993 first round draft pick out of Penn State University and led the NFL in receptions in 1998. By the time his career ended after the 2000 season he has just 14 catches for 143 years over nine games. Since the end of his career he has put together a foundation called the Catch 81 Foundation to support and create programs to enhance the quality of life for children of South Florida “and empowering them to pursue the best in themselves.”

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Victims of medical malpractice are making their voices heard to President Obama. In a letter to the president, as well as leaders in Congress, those who have had their lives altered forever write about their concerns over the rallying cry supporting tort reform. Tort reform means that people who are injured have fewer opportunities to bring their grievance to court. People like these.

In the letter, they urge the president to keep the tort reform debate out of the upcoming health care summit. When caps are imposed by states, limiting what someone who is injured can ever hope to collect to cover their lifetime of costs, a family is put into jeopardy. Many need some reimbursement just to survive. And a cap lessens the impact on the wrong-doer, allowing him or her to injure again. Public Citizen found that about five percent of doctors are responsible for the bulk of medical malpractice. Discipline of doctors is a disgrace.

For those who say there is no downside to tort reform, that is just nonsense. The authors of the letter say that being shut out of courts puts a burden on taxpayers since many have to turn to taxpayer-funded health and disability programs and Medicaid. And morally, it is kicking people when they are already down.

And it is estimated that even with tort reform, the savings are limited to about one-half of one percent of the total health care costs. With estimates of 100,000 to 200,000 Americans killed every year by medication errors, hospital infections, a failure to diagnose, wrong-site surgeries, among other things, medical malpractice takes a huge toll on all of our lives. Reducing accountability is a backward way to address the problem. Curtailing our way to the courtroom door is positively un-Americans as guaranteed by the Seventh Amendment to our U.S. Constitution.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joanne-doroshow/medical-malpractice-survi_b_458722.html

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A major analysis by the consumer coalition, Americans for Insurance Reform (AIR), finds that a recent claim about the cost of litigation in this country is highly exaggerated and misleading. The estimate, $254.7 billion, was determined by the insurance consulting firm, Towers Perrin, now called Towers Watson.

AIR says the estimate is based on unverifiable and flawed work and is completely inappropriate in evaluating the U.S. tort system. Those who would like to limit the rights of consumers and their access to the civil justice system, frequently exaggerate the cost of the tort system to mislead taxpayers to believe they are paying the inflated cost of litigation in the form of a tort tax or litigation tax. The Towers Perrin report does not provide support for such a contention or for the tort reform agenda pursued by corporations to keep Americans from cutting into their profits in the courtroom.

The criticism of the Towers Perrin report is called “Grade F” For Fantastically Inflated “Tort Cost” Report, and is co-written by actuary J. Robert Hunter, Director of the Insurance for the Consumer Federation of America and Joanne Doroshow, with the Center for Justice & Democracy. She believes that the Towers Perrin report gives no credence to any belief that the tort costs are out of line, in particular, medical malpractice costs. Doroshow points to the fact that Towers Perrin only examined insurance losses, whether or not a lawsuit was filed, plus insurers’ guesses about what future losses could be, plus the bloated overhead of salaries, bonuses, lobbying costs and jet planes. And the actuary does not examine jury verdicts, settlements, court costs or lawyers’ fees. And it tends to exaggerate- for example, it counts as “tort” cost the transfer of money from a wrongdoer to a victim, such as $500 to fix a car door dent.

Even with all of the misreporting, the Towers Perrin report still shows that tort system costs are growing slower than medical inflation and that medical malpractice trends are completely stable. The bottom line is that U.S. tort costs are less today when compared to GDP, than they were in 1983. And without litigation we would not have safer products and saved lives that result when the civil justice system is allowed to work in the way it was intended.

Source reports: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-consumer-group-slams-insurer-tort-cost-report-82970327.html; http://www.insurance-reform.org/pr/100128.html

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It is one of the most important things that hospital workers can do to keep patients safe. It is virtually no cost and can be done by anyone in the matter of a minute. The statement, “Wash your hands,” is drummed into hospital personnel during their training, through orientation, and in pamphlets. Washing one’s hands not only stops the spread of bacteria and viruses, but it can also stop deadly MRSA from spreading in a hospital setting.

Hospital Recommendations
Hospitals recommend that doctors and nurses wash their hands before seeing every patient and on their way out, but medical professionals can forget to uphold this important responsibility. In fact, only about 40 percent of health care workers in the U.S. wash their hands as often as it’s recommended. Hospitals are beginning to pay attention to this practice and are even using new surveillance technologies.

Surveillance Technologies
A new device has been installed at Baptist Princeton Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama. A special badge tells hospital administrators exactly how often doctors and nurses wash their hands through information that is transmitted wirelessly. Nurses have mixed feeling about the technology. It is sort of a “Big Brother of hand washing” looking over their shoulders. Many do not care for the invasive surveillance and the message of distrust that it sends. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is using focus groups to gauge how sensitive healthcare workers are to the surveillance. But the bottom line is that the technology is being used to change behavior, not just to be punitive.

Continue reading "An Emphasis on Hand Washing - Prevent Medical Negligence" »

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This is a story that no one wants to experience, but medical malpractice in Florida and throughout the U.S. is real and far more common than the public realizes. A woman from Tampa felt there was too much bleeding after her dental surgery, and too much pain. There was a very good reason for that. Her dental surgeon had left a drill bit burr in her right maxillary sinus where it stayed for nearly a year as the 35-year-old held down a job and cared for her kids. The woman has since undergone surgery to have the drill bit removed.

We wish her a speedy recovery and the peace of mind knowing that a foreign object has been removed from her face.

Medical Malpractice
The woman in this incident has hired an attorney to try and get back some of the11-months of her life. This was not only a preventable error, says her attorney, but a simple follow-up X-ray would have detected the metal piece in her jaw. Instead, the woman was sent away and told that her healing process was normal, her lawyer says.

In order to file a medical malpractice lawsuit, a patient has to have suffered some loss and injury, and according to this complaint, the woman was experiencing numbness on her right side where the burr was, as well as dizziness. It was only when she was taken in for emergency treatment at St. Joseph’s Hospital in July, 2009, that a magnetic scan caused the object to move inside her head, something that caused excruciating pain, she says.

Continue reading "Dentist Leaves Drill Bit in Patient's Jaw" »

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The 20-year-old was a good nurse. So when she was told to show up at Jacksonville Naval Hospital’s Mayport clinic in 2005, despite the fact that she had a cold and worsening headaches, she did so. But that decision turned deadly for a young pregnant woman.

An undiagnosed sinus infection became bacterial meningitis taking her life. Monday, December 28, 2009, the government finally settled with the family. Most of the $850,000 will go to her 4-year-old daughter who was delivered seven weeks early by C-section as he mother lay dying. The child will not go without, but she will go without her mother.

Our condolences to the family for their immense loss. It is a complete tragedy, especially considering that the failure-to-diagnose case is the third settled by the family’s attorney with this hospital.

Medical Malpractice
By failing to diagnose this young woman simply by taking her temperature, determining she had a bacterial infection and treating the infection with antibiotics, the hospital committed malpractice. She had shown up at the Mayport clinic with the respiratory infection and a two-to-three day history of headaches, but told to continue taking over-the-counter (OTC) medication. Even the young woman’s mother called the clinic herself to demand they give her daughter a prescription for antibiotics. Instead the daughter received a different OTC medication.

Malpractice occurs when a standard of care is violated and that clearly happened here. By the time the bacterial meningitis was diagnosed, it was too late. She died two days later and her organs were donated. Her mother says her daughter was her best friend.

Continue reading "Navy Settles Medical Malpractice Case" »

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The city of Palatka rests in the county seat of Putnam County, Florida and currently approximates a population of 10,796 - a significant rise in births since the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2000 count. Many attractions involve Palatka residents, including a bluegrass music festival that occurs biannually, and Ravine Gardens State Park, which students of nearby St. Johns River Community College can visit to enjoy the scenery or study at. With two available Amtrak services and a local public-use airport to accommodate residential travel, the population of Palatka is an educated, busy city that continues to grow. However, from time to time, an accident can occur, such as birth injury or hospital malpractice, and these traumatic incidents can permanently affect the well-being of an individual or a family.

Birth injury will devastate a significant number of families each year, with an estimated six to eight newborns out of 1,000 having difficulty during the birthing procedure and suffering an injury. A certified physician has the responsibility to provide adequate and proper care for a patient about to give birth, including accurate diagnosis, identifying a future child at risk of stroke, and taking measures to prevent premature birth.

An annual estimate of 200,000 patients will experience grief from acts of hospital malpractice by medical professionals who have not given proper treatment or correct dosage of medication to their patients. Mistakes from negligence can be irreversible and drain the earnings of those who have suffered mistreatment. In cases of neglect, a skilled Palatka hospital malpractice attorney is available to help anyone in need of repairing medical damages due to the negligence of a doctor, nurse or employed medical practitioner.

If you or a family member has experienced emotional trauma, physical pain, birth injury or personal loss at the expense of a medical negligence, the skilled and confident Palatka personal injury attorneys at Farah and Farah can help protect your rights. Loved ones and victims of neglect have trusted our lawyers for many years in hospital malpractice and birth injury cases. For a free and confidential consultation of your case, call the Palatka office of Farah and Farah today:

(386) 328-2889
417 St. Johns Avenue
Palatka, Florida 32177


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The city of Gainesville, Florida, is the largest in Alachua County with an estimated population of 114,375 and also is home to one of the biggest national universities, the University of Florida. Gainesville scenery is highly regarded, according to the 2007 edition of Cities Ranked and Rated, which named it the #1 place to live, and National Geographic Adventure noted it as one of the “best places to live and play.” As a top city and an education landmark, the Gainesville community may be publicly regarded as a safe environment. However, from time to time, incidents of hospital malpractice in Gainesville take place in which birth injury may be a result.

A birth injury is one of the most grief sustaining incidents that no family should every have to experience, especially when a family is under the impression that they can trust professional medical staff to provide adequate hospital care. When a hospital official, physician, or nurse practitioner fails to handle a critical birthing situation, the newly born baby may sustain serious health problems, mental defects, physical disfigurement, or even death under the most traumatic circumstances. In addition to the baby potentially suffering from medical negligence, the mother may also endure serious harm as well. In such conditions of suffering from the improper care of a negligent professional, a family may want to seek the help of a skilled Gainesville birth injury lawyer to find out their legal rights and possible options for compensation.

Not only is birth injury an unfortunate occurrence, but hospital malpractice is a serious form of negligence that causes people seeking treatment unnecessary physical pain and avoidable emotional grief. Common forms of hospital malpractice include improperly prescribed drugs, misdiagnosis, error during surgery, and even ignoring a patient in a desperate condition. Though a doctor or staff member may have caused irreversible errors, these parties may be held liable for any pain, expenses or unfulfilled responsibilities as medical professionals.

Farah and Farah personal injury attorneys have been working with families and the victims of medical malpractice and birth injury for several years and have the experience necessary to help protect the rights of mistreated patients. If you or a family member has experienced financial, emotional, or physical grief or loss due to medical malpractice or birth injury, contact the Gainesville offices of Farah and Farah for a free and confidential consultation:

(352) 375-3393
2233 NW 41st. St.
Suite 700-1
Gainesville, FL 32605

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A former patient at University Community Hospital (UCH) in Tampa underwent back surgery but instead of relief he suffered complications.

The patient, male, filed a Florida medical malpractice lawsuit against his surgeon. In order to proceed, records would be needed from the hospital. Florida law gives patients a right to access any adverse incident records of doctors and hospitals. The person requesting the records is supposed to pay a reasonable cost for their retrieval.

The Million Dollar Search
However, the hospital says it will cost the defendant $1 million to retrieve the records. Hospital officials say that searching through years of records for adverse incidents related to the accused surgeon would require manual record searches and names will have to be redacted to protect privacy.

So the patient has sued UCH in an attempt to have the records costs lowered and to determine the actual cost to produce the documents.

His lawyer says the cost is unconscionable and designed to stall and prevent patients from obtaining information on their doctors.

Patients Have Rights to Medical Records
The Agency for Health Care Administration says each hospital is supposed to keep track of how many incidents every doctor has because reporting is mandatory. The health care provider owns a patient’s medical record, but the patient has a right to see it and get a copy.

Continue reading "Medical Malpractice Record Cost Should Be Reasonable" »

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Amelia Island is located along the southernmost Florida shore belonging to a chain of beaches called the Sea Islands. It spans 13 miles long, 4 miles wide, and is located 15 minutes from Interstate 95. Its scenery has attracted the interest of film makers, event planners and the annual Jazz and Shrimp festivals draw residents and visitors to participate and enjoy the Amelia Island coast. Readers of Conde Nast Traveler ranked the island #4 in North America. As an engaging city, many residents of Amelia Island find it hard to believe that patients deserving of adequate hospital care do not always receive the proper medical attention that they need.

Hospital malpractice will affect an estimated 200,000 patients nationwide each year. Medical mistakes like birth injury can impose unfortunate physical, financial, and emotional strain on patients who deserve to be treated by reliable hospital staff. Birth injury caused by a medical professional who has failed to timely diagnose a problem during the birthing process can severely injure or permanently damage the well-being of the mother and baby. Fortunately, skilled Amelia Island birth injury attorneys are available to support patients and their loved ones when they are negatively affected from hospital negligence.

If you or a family member has experienced suffering, emotional trauma, pain, or loss due to birth injury or hospital malpractice, the skilled personal injury lawyers at Farah and Farah can help protect your rights. We have been at the aid of injury victims and their loved ones for many years and have the experience to obtain a positive outcome in your birth injury or hospital malpractice case. Contact Farah and Farah today at our Amelia Island office for a free and confidential consultation:

(904) 261-4440
501 Centre St.
Fernandina Beach, Florida 32034


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Spanning an estimated 22 square miles, with an approximate population of 21,673, Jacksonville Beach is considered the largest town in the northern Florida cluster of San Pablo Island’s suburban communities. Jacksonville Beach, or “Jax Beach”, if you’re a local, is a busy city with a full schedule of events for its residents and many tourists. Familiar activities include food festivals, live music at night, and a Winter Beach Run that registers over one thousand participating athletes. With its developing population and as a noted travel spot, many Jacksonville Beach residents and visitors do not want to admit that incidents of hospital malpractice and birth injury take place from time to time.

Birth injury can affect families in devastating ways. Not only can the emotional challenges of a birth injury be traumatic but such forms of medical malpractice may also cause financial strain. When a medical professional fails to uphold their responsibility to provide professional care, a family may qualify to seek compensation from negligent parties. An experienced Jacksonville Beach birth injury attorney can assist a family in making a full recovery from incidents of hospital recklessness.

The severe consequences of medical mistakes unfortunately cause suffering to an estimated 200,000 patients each year throughout the United States. The emotional trauma and physical damage from hospital malpractice may negatively affect a patient for many years following treatment. If you or a family member has experienced grief, loss, or birth injury due to hospital negligence, the experienced personal injury lawyers at Farah and Farah can help protect your legal rights. We have been at the aid of injury victims and their loved ones for many years and have the skills to obtain a positive outcome in your birth injury or hospital malpractice case. Contact Farah and Farah today at our Jacksonville Beach office for a free and confidential consultation:

(904) 249 2585
472 Osceola Avenue
Jacksonville Beach, Florida 32250


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Jacksonville, Florida has an estimated population well-over 805,605 people and is the largest city in the state and the 12th largest in the U.S. of any other city with a population of at least 100,000. Situated in the First Coast region of northeast Florida, Jacksonville is about 340 miles north of Miami. As a popular tourist destination for its wonderful weather and scenic beaches, Jacksonville attracts several new residents every year. As the population increases, the need for adequate medical care, especially for women giving birth, is in high demand. Unfortunately, medical professionals are not immune to negligence or failing to act in a timely manner, thus causing birth injury and other forms of hospital malpractice to take place.

Birth injuries are some of the most devastating incidents that no family should ever have to overcome. When a nurse, doctor, or hospital staff member does not properly handle a timely situation during the birthing process, a newborn baby may endure severe health problems, disfigurement, scarring, and even death under the most tragic of circumstances. The mother may also be at risk of suffering injury or harm if a medical professional is negligent in some way. During such tough times, some families may want to consult with an experienced Jacksonville birth injury attorney so they can learn more about what potential legal options may be available to them.

When a hospital technician, pharmacist, staff member, nurse, or doctor causes a patient to suffer injury through improper or negligent care or treatment, hospital malpractice may have taken place. Some of the most frequently occurring forms of hospital malpractice include abuse, surgical error, misdiagnosis, incorrect administration of drugs or treatment, and failure to treat a patient. Those responsible for such negligence may be held liable for a patient’s pain and suffering as well as the financial expenses associated with their injuries.

The skilled Florida personal injury attorneys at Farah and Farah can help you and your family if a birth injury or another kind of hospital malpractice has imposed negative consequences. At Farah and Farah, we have dedicated several years to protecting the rights of injury victims and their families. In the many clients that we’ve helped, we have obtained successful outcomes in their birth injury or hospital malpractice case. Contact Farah and Farah today at our Jacksonville office for a free and confidential consultation:

(904) 396-5555
10 West Adams Street
Jacksonville, Florida 32202


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St. Augustine, Florida is sometimes referred to as the “nation’s oldest city” since it is home to the oldest port in the continental United States. With an estimated population well over 12,157, St. Augustine is widely known for its lovely beaches, classic architecture, and museums that reflect the life and culture of early Spanish explorers who settled in the area. St. Augustine is also a popular tourist spot in Northern Florida. Considering all that St. Augustine has to offer and its continuous growth in population, it is an unfortunate reality that birth injury takes place from time to time due to medical negligence or hospital malpractice.

A birth injury can have overwhelming consequences for a family to endure. If a medical professional fails to act efficiently and in a timely manner during the birthing process, a newborn baby may suffer serious health problems, scarring, disfigurement, and even death. The mother may also be at risk of suffering harm or injury if a doctor or nurse acts negligently. After a birth injury, a family has a lot on their mind and only wants what is best for their baby. During such challenging times, some families may find it beneficial to seek legal counsel from a skilled St. Augustine birth injury attorney who can help fully explain their legal rights and options if that is what a family decides is best for them.

Hospital malpractice may occur when a doctor, nurse, staff member, pharmacist, or technician causes a patient to suffer injury through negligent or improper treatment or care. Misdiagnosis, surgical error, abuse, and failure to treat a patient, and incorrect administration of drugs or treatment are a few examples of frequent incidents of hospital malpractice. If hospital malpractice or negligence causes an innocent patient to suffer injury, illness, or death, those responsible for such action and poor treatment may be held legally and financially accountable.

If you and your family have experienced a birth injury or another form of hospital malpractice in St. Augustine, please contact the experienced Florida personal injury lawyers at Farah and Farah. We have worked vigilantly for many years protecting the rights of injury victims and their families. Farah and Farah has achieved successful outcomes for our clients in birth injury and hospital malpractice litigation. We can help you. Get in touch with Farah and Farah today at our St. Augustine office for a free and confidential consultation:

(904) 797-7977
1301 Plantation Island Drive
Suite 206A
St. Augustine, Florida 32080

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A patient goes to a doctor for a medical procedure. Unfortunately, sometimes the outcome of that procedure is less than ideal. In an even smaller number of cases, the doctor may be guilty of medical malpractice, and failing to deliver the standard of care of a professional medical doctor. Patients may find themselves permanently injured and many decide to file a claim against the doctor.

In Georgia, the CEO of a Georgia medical services company, in an opinion piece in the newspaper, suggest those already injured should have to jump through one more hoop. It is a hoop that benefits the medical profession and insurance companies, not the injured. Instead of allowing victims of medical malpractice in Georgia their Constitutional right to a trial by jury, this author suggest that victims should have to appear before a “screening panel” comprised of members of the medical and insurance industries. Reminder- those are the same industries trying to avoid compensating injured patients.

Time for a dose of reality - only a fraction of those individuals injured by medical mishap ever see a trial. First, many people do not want to be involved in litigation. Secondly, the injury must be tremendous in order to find a lawyer willing to take your case. There is another special hoop in Georgia, the patient must find a medical professional willing to publicly criticize their colleague. That person must be credentialed and willing to sign a document swearing to the malpractice. Then there is another hoop – a judge must screen the case as well.

Continue reading "Injured by Medical Malpractice in Georgia? Jump through Hoops" »

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Situated in Columbia County, Lake City is often called the “Gateway to Florida.” Taking Columbia County’s staggering population of about 68,000 into consideration along with the estimated 12,000 inhabitants of Lake City, the “Gateway to Florida” is a popular and busy region. Although residents and visitors of Lake City do not want to admit that birth injuries or incidents of hospital malpractice take place in Florida and throughout the U.S., these tragic occurrences are an unfortunate reality that may impose devastating consequences for a family to endure.

Even though birth complication and injury is relatively uncommon, such incidents happen more often than many patients would like to admit. If a medical professional, doctor, or nurse fails to act in a timely and efficient manner in diagnosing and treating a mother or a baby during the birthing process, the mother and/or the baby can be harmed or seriously injured. Some of the most commonly seen birth injuries relate to scarring, disfigurement, and other serious health problems. When a medical professional’s negligence contributes to a birth injury taking place, an experienced Lake City birth injury attorney may assist a family in seeking compensation to help pay for expenses associated with the injury.

Hospital malpractice can take many forms and can tragically affect patients of all ages and with several different kinds of medical conditions. Nevertheless, a patient deserves to receive quality medical attention and proper care from doctors and nurses who are required by law to be accurately trained. If hospital negligence or malpractice makes a vulnerable patient develop a new illness or condition, suffer injury, or even death, those responsible may be held financially and legally accountable.

If you or a loved one has been afflicted by a birth injury or any other kind of hospital malpractice in Lake City, there are potential legal options available. Please get in touch with the skilled personal injury lawyers at Farah and Farah to learn more about how we can help protect your rights. We have been assisting injury victims and their families for many years and have the knowledge to obtain successful outcomes in hospital malpractice and birth injury cases. Contact Farah and Farah today at our Lake City office for a free and confidential consultation:

(386) 754-7534
212 N. Marion Ave Suite 208
Lake City, FL 32055

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Situated in Northeast Clay County, the city of Orange Park is a suburb of Jacksonville, Florida. Orange Park has an estimated population of over 180,000 and has a high population density. In attracting visitors and new residents to its thriving community which is rich in history, Orange Park is a bustling region of Florida.

When taking Orange Park’s large population into consideration, birth injury has been known to occur due to the negligence of medical professionals or as the result of a different form of hospital malpractice. During such challenging times, families may find it helpful to seek legal guidance from experienced Orange Park birth injury attorneys who can help explain their legal rights and options.

Although birth complications and injuries are typically rare, they unfortunately occur more often than most Orange Park residents would like to believe. If a medical professional does not act in a timely manner or if a doctor fails to detect a problem or condition that they are supposed to be able to identify, a newborn baby may suffer severe health problems, scarring, disfigurement, or even death.

Birth injury is not the only form of hospital malpractice, but it can cause some of the most devastating consequences for a family to endure. However, no matter what an individual’s age or medical condition, he or she expects to be given quality medical care from a doctor, nurse, or other professional who is required by law to be adequately trained. If hospital malpractice or negligence causes an innocent patient to suffer harm, injury, or death, those responsible for such action and poor treatment may be held legally and financially accountable.

If you and your family have experienced a birth injury or another form of hospital malpractice in Orange Park, please contact the skilled personal injury lawyers at Farah and Farah. We have been protecting the rights of injury victims and their families for many years and know what it takes to reach a successful outcome in birth injury and hospital malpractice litigation. Get in touch with Farah and Farah today at our Orange Park office for a free and confidential consultation:

(904) 264-0700
1534 Kingsley Avenue
Orange Park, Florida 32073


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The city of Brunswick is located about 30 miles north of Florida and encompasses part of southeastern Georgia. Sometimes referred to as the “shrimp capital of the world,” Brunswick is home to Georgia’s main shrimp and crab industries. Brunswick’s approximate metropolitan population of 101,792 and city proper population of 16,235 make it the twelfth-largest metropolitan area in the state of Georgia.

With the large population of Brunswick in mind, it is an unfortunate reality that birth injury takes place from time to time as the result of hospital malpractice or the negligence of medical professionals. However, with the legal assistance of a Brunswick birth injury attorney, families may be able to hold negligent parties legally responsible for their wrongdoing. Although birth injuries or complications are rare, they take place more than most people would like to admit. If a doctor fails to act in a timely manner or if medical professionals overlook a problem or condition that they are supposed to be able to identify, a newborn baby may endure serious health problems, scarring, disfigurement, or even death.

Hospital malpractice can come in a variety of forms and negatively impact a wide range of individuals. No matter what a person’s age or medical condition, he or she has the right to receive adequate medical care from a doctor, nurse, or other professional who has been properly trained. If hospital malpractice causes an innocent patient to suffer, those responsible for such negligent action and treatment may be held accountable.

If you and your family have experienced a birth injury or another form of hospital malpractice in Brunswick, please contact the skilled personal injury lawyers at Farah and Farah. We have been protecting the rights of injury victims and their families for many years and know what it takes to reach a successful outcome in birth injury and hospital malpractice litigation. Get in touch with Farah and Farah today at our Brunswick, Georgia office for a free and confidential consultation:

(912) 466-8896
4216 Coral Park Drive
Suite 107
Brunswick, GA 31520

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There is a very bad proposal coming from Georgia’s Republican U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss as a way to keep health care costs down. Chambliss is known to be a friend to big business and his proposal shows it.

Chambliss is co-sponsoring legislation he says would cut down on so-called “frivolous” malpractice lawsuits.

Instead of capping the jury awards to the injured, cruel in itself if a truly injured person wins their case before a jury and is then told, “Sorry, state law caps what the jury wanted you to have.” Equally cruel, Chambliss has been joined by Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, in supporting a so-called “loser pays” legislation that would require those involved in a medical malpractice claim to enter nonbinding arbitration to try and resolve their differences.

Only if that did not resolve the dispute could they go to court, but if the injured loses, he or she would be on the hook to pay the opponents’ legal fees which easily could run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Chambliss defends the proposal, called the Fair Resolution of Medical Liability Disputes Act of 2009.

Now remember this would apply, even if the person is successful before a jury but has their case turned over on appeal. That means all a deep-pocketed corporation has to do is keep filing appeals to higher courts and eventually the injured will run out of funds or their lawyer will. That’s how corporations use the courts to stomp on people and make them go away.

So ultimately the physically injured can become fiscally injured. The end effect will be no lawsuits are filed because no one wants to take the chance on what an unpredictable jury will do. And that’s the point.

In a statement Chambliss said, "While no one with a valid claim for medical malpractice should be denied his day in court, those who bring frivolous lawsuits raise the cost of health care for everyone, ‘Loser pays' should go a long way toward discouraging such junk lawsuits and lowering the cost of practicing medicine."

Folks - there are no frivolous lawsuits that I’m aware of filed by most big law firms. No one wants to put out the couple of hundred of thousands in lawyer time and hiring expert witnesses unless there is a case. Period. It just doesn’t make financial sense.

Continue reading "Loser Pays is a Bad Idea" »

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Researchers believe that two separate and fatal cases of Lou Gehrig’s Disease in young girls following the Gardasil injection may be related to the vaccine. Gardasil is injected in girls beginning at age 9 through age 26, to protect against two types of virus that cause cervical cancer and two that cause genital warts. It’s estimated 7 million young girls and women have received the vaccine, delivered in a three-shot series.

In both cases the young women died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), and the disease progressed rapidly. Merck, the maker of Gardasil, does not believe that Gardasil could have caused the events.

But the two cases are very similar and researchers are suspicious that ALS in young people, affecting just one in 2-3 million, may be related to the vaccine.

Here’s what we do know. One of the girls was 14-years-old when she received Gardasil. Months after her third shot in the three-booster Gardasil series, she began tripping over easy hurdles in gym class. Soon both legs and her arms became weak, she began to limp and had trouble gripping objects and she felt pins and needles in her feet. Her muscled atrophied. Within a year she was paralyzed, a quadriplegic and used life support to help her breath before she died. The degenerative disease did not harm her mind, which Web MD reports was as sharp as ever.

The girl’ parents want people to know they are not anti-vaccine. After all, they had their daughter vaccinated with Gardasil. The girl was 15-years-old when she lost her battle with the rapidly degenerative neurological disease on March 15, 2009.

Another girl, 20-years-old had a rapid progression of ALS in a similar way within four months of her first Gardasil shot. She died 28 months later.

Our hearts go out to the parents and family and friends of these two young women.

The link between the symptoms and the shot is very suspicious to researcher Dr. Catherine Lomen-Hoerth at the ALS Center at University of California San Francisco Medical Center. First, the symptoms progressed very rapidly, more so than in a typical ALS patient. And both girls had an inflamed spinal cord she said to doctors at the American Neurological Association, which is not normally seen in ALS.

And one doctor, Yadollah Harati, a neurologist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, says he will now ask his young ALS patients if they received the Gardasil vaccine. He didn’t think to ask before, he tells Web MD. The parents of the 14-year-old are asking anyone who visits their Web site in their daughter’s honor, Jenny’s Journey, to forward any cases of muscle paralysis following a Gardasil injection to their Web site so they can make sure that it is registered on the federal VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System). They fear other cases may not be reported since VAERS is not generally known to the public and there are no requirements to post adverse events, though hospitals and doctors are encouraged to do so.

Continue reading "Two Girls Die of Lou Gehrig Disease Following Gardasil" »

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Posted In: Defective Drug , Health & Information , Law & Information , Medical Malpractice , Personal Injury , Pharmaceutical Litigation , Wrongful Death

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Emergency room doctors make decisions quickly as a matter of life and death, often without knowing the medical history of their patients. That was the argument the Georgia Supreme Court justices heard this week defending a 2005 tort reform law. It requires the injured to make a clear and convincing case that an emergency room doctor committed “gross negligence” to prove medical malpractice.

The case in question involved a woman who had serious pain behind her eye. The woman went to St. Francis Hospital in Columbus in April 2007 with a throbbing pain. Instead of a CAT scan, the doctor blamed her headache on stress and high blood pressure, gave her a prescription for Valium and sent her home. The woman was reportedly screaming in pain. Turns out she suffered a brain aneurysm. A CAT scan would have found it. Her lawsuit blames her stroke, permanent paralysis and neurological damage that followed on the doctor’s failure to treat her with a reasonable standard of care.

The Georgia state legislature passed a tort reform law in 2005 to keep doctors from leaving the state for fear of malpractice lawsuits. In doing so, the lawmakers carved out an exception for hospitals, practically eliminating medical negligence claims. Many people who are truly injured have found that they have no recourse and a major insurer of physicians reports that medical malpractice claims have fallen. That is nothing to brag about.

The Georgia Supreme Court is also listening to a challenge to the state’s damage cap in medical malpractice lawsuits. In that case, a 75-year-old woman argued that a $350,000 cap on non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering, is unconstitutional and denies her right to a trial by jury.

Continue reading "Stroke Victim Challenges Georgia ER Malpractice Laws" »

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It’s hard to believe this happens, but it does.

Two doctors have reached a settlement with the Florida Board of Medicine after they allegedly treated the wrong patients at the wrong hospital rooms in two separate incidents. A nephrologist of Fort Myers, Florida, is facing a fine of $5,000 and a Surgeon of St. Petersburg, Florida, was fined $10,000.

The agreements to settle were reached between attorneys for the doctors and the Florida Department of Health. In the nephrologist’s case, the Associated Press reports there was no permanent harm to the patient, however, we don’t know the outcome of the other case. Both of the situations were caught by alert nurses.

Thankfully, the nurses saw the problems and were not afraid or intimidated to speak up. They are truly life savers.

A newly released report says that there will be 200,000 fatalities from hospital errors and infections this year, and they are mostly preventable.

Hearst Newspapers, in a national reporting effort, “Dead by Mistake,” finds medical errors happen all too frequently and there is a lack of systemic reform underway to ensure patient safety.

Ten years ago another federal report, “To Err is Human,” said that medical error could be improved and showed how to cut errors in half. Actually, Hearst reporters found the rate of medical error is increasing. Doctors regularly make errors such as the doctors above, confused about who to treat and what to treat them for. Other problems involve hospital infection, failure to color-code medical tubes, illegible handwriting, and prescription errors.

Continue reading "Florida Doctors Fined for Treating Wrong Patient" »

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Palatka, Florida is 7.5 square miles in size, and houses a population of 10,804 people as of July 2007. Part of Putnam County, Palatka has a population density of 1,543 people per square mile, but has experienced a 7.5% rise in population since the year 2000. Only slightly more than 20% of Palatka residents both live and work within the city limits, with the vast majority of residents commuting out of the city for employment. Unfortunately, nearly one-third of Palatka’s population lives below the poverty line, a sign that economic opportunity and access to quality services, such as healthcare, are limited.

According to the Center for Disease Control, 7.1% of Florida residents did not get medical care due to cost, while 10.0% of residents delayed medical care due to cost (versus national averages of 5.5% and 7.7% respectively). The city of Palatka has one hospital, Putnam Community Medical Center. All other hospitals or medical treatment centers neighboring Palatka are at least 25 miles away from the city limits. With large amounts of residents requiring medical attention throughout the year, cases of medical malpractice in Palatka can result from failure to diagnose, birth injuries, hospital negligence, and surgical injuries. The knowledge and skills of a Palatka medical malpractice attorney is needed when taking on insurance companies, big hospitals, and/or doctors who will try to cover up mistakes so that they aren’t held responsible for their negligent actions that put innocent people at risk for suffering life-changing injury or wrongful death.

With some residents relying on medication to maintain healthy living or treat an illness, adverse drug reactions can be experienced when a pharmaceutical company fails to inform consumers with proper warnings. If you or a loved one has been a victim of a dangerous drug in or near Palatka, Florida, please call the skilled Palatka pharmaceutical litigation attorneys at Farah and Farah. Our dedicated lawyers will draw on years of experience handling cases centering-around shoddy health care and pharmaceutical blunder, and will hold negligent parties responsible for their actions. At Farah and Farah, we will examine the details of your situation to ensure that you receive the compensation you deserve. Please contact our knowledgeable attorneys today for a free evaluation at:

417 St. Johns Avenue
Palatka, Florida 32177
Phone: (386) 328-2889

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With a population of about 68,347 people, Amelia Island is located off the coast of Florida. Part of Nassau County and home to Amelia City and Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island is only 18.2 square miles in size. Known as the “Isle of Eight Flags,” it is host to numerous festivals that tourists flock to annually, such as the Amelia Island Jazz Festival, the Amelia Island Film Festival, the Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival and the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. Amelia Island’s principle economic industry is tourism, with attractions ranging from sailing to camping. With so many people coming and going, there are bound to be accidents and mishaps that lead to injuries; injuries that will undoubtedly require medical attention.

From the time period of 1990-2003, there were 13,498 medical malpractice reports made against physicians in Florida (according to the United States Department of Health and Human Services). In the event that you or a family member becomes a victim of medical wrongdoing, the skilled Amelia Island medical malpractice attorneys at Farah and Farah are prepared to hold negligible parties responsible for their actions and get you the compensation that is duly yours.

In addition to the medical malpractice problem, residents of Amelia Island must also contend with the influential sway of pharmaceutical companies, who proposition physicians and other care-givers to administer their pharmaceutical medications. Propositions such as this would not always be an issue provided the administering of these new medications was always in the best interests of the patients, but unfortunately the best interests of clients are sometimes secondary to the financial interests of physicians and care facilities who receive incentive through monetary compensation from pharmaceutical companies. If you’ve experienced adverse reactions to a defective drug, the Amelia Island pharmaceutical litigation attorneys at Farah and Farah can help you determine the best course of action to take. Don’t hesitate to contact our Amelia Island office today:

501 Centre St.
Fernandina Beach, Florida 32034
Phone: (904) 261-4440

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With an ever-growing population caused by its close proximity to the beautiful Floridian coast, Jacksonville Beach, Florida houses a population of 21,849, as of July 2007. Typically referred to as “Jax Beach,” the area is part of Duval County and boasts a city density population of about 993 people per square mile, and plays host to a large number of tourists each and every year. Though Jacksonville Beach is part of Duval County, and essentially an ocean front extension of the city of Jacksonville, it is a municipality on its own.

According to the American Hospital Directory, there is one hospital located within the city limits. Healthcare in the state of Florida is highly competitive, with a large number of doctors and physicians looking to garner business just as any other company and/or entity supplying a service would do. As a result of this competition, proper care may not always be given, particularly if it means treating a larger number of patients in the long run in order to secure greater profit. In the event that you or a family received shoddy health care that proved more debilitating than useful, the Jacksonville Beach medical malpractice attorneys at Farah and Farah can help you receive the compensation you deserve.

In addition, pharmaceutical companies can be anxious to expose recently tested medications to the so as to acquire business and make a profit for themselves, sometimes in relative disregard to the well-being of Floridians everywhere, including those residents of Jacksonville Beach. The skilled Jacksonville Beach pharmaceutical litigation attorneys at Farah and Farah will expose negligence to ensure that your rights as a consumer are upheld, and hold all negligible parties accountable for their actions, ultimately resulting in compensation for those whom they mistreated. Please contact our Jacksonville Beach office today:

472 Osceola Avenue
Jacksonville Beach, Florida 32250
Phone: (904) 249-2585

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With a population of 805,605 people as of 2007, Jacksonville is the largest city in the state of Florida and the 12th largest in the nation (of any major U.S. city with a population of at least 100,000 people). Jacksonville is located in the First Coast region of northeast Florida, and is positioned about 340 miles north of Miami. Jacksonville, Florida is a popular destination spot for its beautiful beaches and gorgeous weather. For these very reasons, many people come to call Jacksonville their new home each year, moving into the city limits and establishing roots near the Floridian coast. With such a great volume of people permanently settling in Florida, it is important that Florida’s healthcare system is always operating at optimum levels to ensure that the injured and infirm are well taken care of.

Within Jacksonville, there are a total of 26 hospitals, and within the county limits there are 3,661 doctors. In a highly competitive healthcare system, there are numerous individual practitioners in the city of Jacksonville. With such competition often comes reduced quality of treatment and the unfortunate reality of medical malpractice in Jacksonville, which can be the failure to diagnose, birth injuries, hospital negligence, and surgical injuries. Factor in pharmaceutical companies that are driven by profits, often times speeding through clinical trials of medications in order to get the drugs prescribed to patients quicker, and you have a recipe for potential disaster relating to personal health care.

In the event that defective pharmaceuticals plague your well-being or the well-being of your family, please don’t hesitate to call the skilled Jacksonville pharmaceutical litigation attorneys at Farah and Farah. Our knowledgeable lawyers will examine every aspect of your case, and will ensure that unscrupulous health care providers and pharmaceutical companies are held liable for less than quality services. Please call us today for a free consultation, and we will get you the compensation you deserve. Contact our Jacksonville office:

10 West Adams Street
Jacksonville, Florida 32202
Phone: (904) 396-5555

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Lake City is located in Columbia County, Florida and is known as the “Gateway To Florida.” With a population of about 12,000 and in a county whose population is on the rise (Columbia County has close to 68,000 inhabitants as of 2006), Lake City has become a popular tourist destination as well as a stop for those on route to Southern Florida. With such an expanse of visitors and residents who encounter all sorts of medical needs due to emergencies, injuries, illnesses, or health conditions, medical malpractice in Lake City is prone to occur.

Although most of us don’t want to believe or admit that medical malpractice in Lake City poses serious life-long affects because of failure to diagnose, birth injuries, hospital negligence, and surgical injuries, this kind of negligence is a reality throughout the U.S. and Florida. The knowledge and skills of a Lake City medical malpractice attorney is needed when taking on insurance companies, big hospitals, and/or doctors who will do anything, such as cover up mistakes, so that they aren’t held responsible for their negligent actions that put innocent people at risk for suffering life-changing injury or wrongful death.

As patients and consumers in Lake City who often rely on the aid of pharmaceutical products to help recover from or treat an illness, we expect that the products we are prescribed or buy over-the-counter are safe and don’t pose a risk to our lives. When a manufacturing company distributes medication that causes dangerous side effects to its users, those who are injured may receive compensation; however, this is no easy task. Pharmaceutical litigation is a complex process that requires an experienced Lake City pharmaceutical litigation attorney to help evaluate your case and the evidence involved so that justice can be attained. Contact Farah and Farah today to speak with a member of our legal team or contact us at our Lake City offices:

212 N. Marion Ave Suite 208
Lake City, FL 32055
Phone: (386) 754-7534

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Orange Park is a suburb of Jacksonville located in Northeast Clay County just south of Jacksonville, Florida. Rich in history and a thriving community, Orange Park has a great deal to offer. Clay County, which Orange Park is located in, is also a bustling region of Florida. With a population in excess of 180,000 and a very high population density, hundreds of residents and visitors rely on a variety of medication to maintain healthy living or treat an illness or condition. Many people don’t want to believe or admit that pharmaceutical litigation in Orange Park occurs due to adverse drug reactions and dangerous side effects that went undetected in testing or were ignored while more products were distributed.

As patients and consumers who often rely on the aid of pharmaceutical products, we expect that the products we are prescribed or buy over-the-counter are safe and don’t pose a risk to our lives. When a manufacturing company distributes medication that causes dangerous side effects to its users, those who are injured may receive compensation; however, this is no easy task. An experienced Orange Park pharmaceutical litigation attorney can help you if you’ve suffered injury due to medication by evaluating the evidence involved so that justice can be attained.

While encountering a variety of life’s obstacles, many people require medical attention for different conditions and emergencies of all kinds. Unfortunately, cases of medical malpractice in Orange Park happen from time to time, as they do across the nation, resulting from failure to diagnose, birth injuries, hospital negligence, and surgical injuries, just to name a few. The knowledge and skills of a Orange Park medical malpractice attorney is needed when taking on insurance companies, big hospitals, and/or doctors who will do anything like cover up mistakes so that they aren’t held responsible for their negligent actions that put innocent people at risk for suffering life-changing injury or wrongful death. If you have been injured from a defective drug or have suffered medical malpractice in Orange Park, contact the personal injury law firm of Farah and Farah today for a confidential consultation:

1534 Kingsley Avenue
Orange Park, Florida 32073
Phone: (904) 264-0700

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St. Augustine is home to the oldest port in the continental United States – in fact, St. Augustine is commonly referred to as “the nation’s oldest city.” In 2004, the population was estimated to be 12,157. Home to beautiful beaches and museums, St. Augustine continues to be a popular tourist destination in Northern Florida. Located about 40 miles south of Jacksonville and 60 miles north of Daytona Beach just 5 miles east of Interstate 95, St. Augustine is also a well traversed location.

With hundreds of residents and visitors relying on a plethora of medication to maintain healthy living or treat an illness, many people don’t want to believe or admit that pharmaceutical litigation in St. Augustine occurs. As patients and consumers who often rely on the aid of pharmaceutical products, we expect that the products we are prescribed or buy over-the-counter are safe and don’t pose a risk to our lives. When a manufacturing company distributes medication that causes dangerous side effects to its users, those who are injured may receive compensation; however, this is no easy task. Pharmaceutical litigation is a complex process that requires an experienced St. Augustine pharmaceutical litigation attorney to help evaluate your case and the evidence involved so that justice can be attained.

While encountering a variety of life’s obstacles, many people require medical attention for different conditions and emergencies of all kinds. Unfortunately, cases of medical malpractice in St. Augustine happen from time to time, as it does across the nation, resulting from failure to diagnose, birth injuries, hospital negligence, and surgical injuries, just to name a few. The knowledge and skills of a medical malpractice attorney is needed when taking on insurance companies, big hospitals, and/or doctors who will do anything like cover up mistakes so that they aren’t held responsible for their negligent actions that put innocent people at risk for suffering life-changing injury or wrongful death. If you have been injured from a defective drug or have suffered medical malpractice, contact the personal injury law firm of Farah and Farah today for a confidential consultation:

1301 Plantation Island Drive
Suite 206A
St. Augustine, Florida 32080
Phone: (904) 797-7977

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Brunswick is a city in southeastern Georgia located about 30 miles north of Florida. Home to the fourth-largest automobile port in the eastern United States, the city's economy encompasses manufacturing, agricultural processing, and bulk cargoes. Nicknamed “the shrimp capital of the world” the region is also famous because it is the center of Georgia’s shrimp and crab industries. In 2007, the city proper had an estimated population of 16,235 and an estimated metropolitan population of 101,792.

Brunswick’s metropolitan area is the twelfth-largest in the state of Georgia and includes the counties of Glynn, Brantley, and McIntosh. With a region that encompasses such a large, varied area and a population that is on the rise, residents and visitors alike require medical attention for a variety of reasons. A lot of people don’t want to believe or admit that medical malpractice in Brunswick, Georgia occurs, as it does across the nation, resulting from failure to diagnose, birth injuries, hospital negligence, and surgical injuries, just to name a few. The knowledge and skills of a medical malpractice attorney is needed when taking on insurance companies, big hospitals, and/or doctors who will do anything like cover up mistakes so that they aren’t held responsible for their negligent actions that put innocent people at risk for suffering life-changing injury or wrongful death.

As patients and consumers who often rely on the aid of pharmaceutical products to help recover from or treat an illness, we expect that the products we are prescribed or buy over-the-counter are safe and don’t pose a risk to our lives. When a manufacturing company distributes medication that causes dangerous side effects to its users, those who are injured may receive compensation; however, this is no easy task. Pharmaceutical litigation is a complex process that requires an experienced Brunswick, Georgia pharmaceutical litigation attorney to help evaluate your case and the evidence involved so that justice can be attained. Contact the personal injury law firm of Farah and Farah today for a confidential consultation:

4216 Coral Park Drive,
Suite 107
Brunswick, GA 31520
Phone: (912) 466-8896

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Imagine- a hospital that doesn’t find a single problem with a doctor over a period of 17 years. Sound improbable? It is and that’s what makes this report so upsetting.

Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group, found that half of Florida hospitals never reported having a problem with any doctor committing medical malpractice in Florida for over nearly two decades. Apparently, the hospitals failed to report “problem doctors” to the National Practitioner Data Bank, which looks out for that information in an effort to help protect patients from harm.

These cases not being reported amounts to about 105 of 227 Florida hospitals and is roughly similar to the nationwide lack of reporting 48.9 percent of hospitals never having a doctor problem over 17 years when in fact there were negligent and problematic incidents.

Legally, we know that a small percentage of doctors, about five percent, commit the bulk of medical malpractice. The medical review boards routinely let doctors slide without facing he consequences when there has been an error. Medical errors are not always put into writing. Bad doctors are just allowed to resign or given a leave of absence and Florida personal injury continues to take place. That’s just the way it is and has been for years.

A new state law was aimed at keeping the public in the loop with more information, but it may have had the opposite effect with hospitals becoming even more secretive.

Florida still ranks 35th in the nation regarding the rate in which it disciplines doctors. With the growing elderly population and our general population growing in Florida, is that good enough?
You may require the skills of a personal injury attorney to look into whether a patient was put in a dangerous situation with a doctor who has faced internal disciplines. Please know that any claim must be filed before a statute of limitations takes effect. Contact the experienced Jacksonville medical malpractice lawyers at Farah and Farah for a free consultation regarding your case.

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With millions of men and women receiving Botox injections to fight the effects of aging, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants a new warning to help prevent serious personal injury in Florida and throughout the U.S.

A report states that Botox (Trademark name of Allergan) and similar anti-wrinkle drugs must carry stringent warning labels, such as a black box warning, the most serious issued by the agency, and a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS).

There is some concern that Botulinum toxins may spread from the injection area to other areas of the body causing symptoms similar to those of botulism, including trouble of breathing, trouble swallowing, blurred vision and various other adverse effects. Let’s not forget that Botulinum toxins are purified forms of botulism that work to temporarily reduce or stop muscle activity.

The FDA says these effects are rare, but have occurred in children when used to help relax uncontrollable muscle movements.

This new action for black-box warnings was spurred by a petition from the watchdog group, Public Citizen, which has had its eye on Botox and its product liability for awhile. FDA records show there were more than 650 adverse events from Botox injections from 1989 to 2006. Problems included pneumonia, fluid in the lungs, and 16 deaths.

Allergan says it will work with the FDA to update its label for Botox and Botox cosmetic products. Other products are: Myobloc (botulinum toxin type B), marketed by Solstice Neurosciences; and a new FDA-approved product, Dysport (abobotulinumtoxinA), marketed by Ipsen Biopharm Ltd.

If you have been injured by a cosmetic procedure that was supposed to improve your life, you will need the help of an experienced Florida medical malpractice attorney at Farah and Farah who understands the background on these cases.

Botox has been the subject of some questions for awhile and with this new warning, it merits a second look by the medical establishment, consumers, the law and the federal regulatory system that is supposed to keep us safe.

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Posted In: Medical Malpractice , Personal Injury , Product Liability

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We’ve all heard the term medical malpractice. There are an estimated 100,000 medical errors caused every year and often it is the same doctor who hurts patients.

In an ideal world, the medical profession would have tighter oversight over doctors who are not professional. But instead, doctors would just like you to stop talking negatively about them online.

A new service, Medical Justice, forces dissatisfied patients to keep quiet.

When you sign up with a new doctor, look for the form in the pile you are asked to sign. It’s called the “Mutual Agreement to Maintain Privacy” form, and the patient promises they “will not denigrate, defame, disparage, or cast aspersions upon,” the doctor on the Internet and will prevent friends and family from doing so as well.

Nationwide, about 2,000 doctors have joined Medical Justice, a Greensboro, North Carolina company that provides the forms to doctors for their patients to sign.

Medical Justice founder and neurosurgeon, Dr. Jeffrey Segal, formed the company in 2002 to prevent so-called “frivolous lawsuits.” a favorite phrase of the business-backed tort reform campaign.

Continue reading "Doctors Don’t Want Patients Talking Online" »

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Posted In: Insurance Claims , Law & Information , Medical Malpractice

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Can mold kill?

The families of three young children have filed a lawsuit against St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa, accusing the hospital of failing to protect the leukemia patients from mold.

The hospital was undergoing an expansion in 2008 on the ground floor. The suit charges that mold was stirred up during the construction and that the hospital should have known the children suffered weakened immune systems making them susceptible to infections.

Three children died in April and May, 2008, and their parents have filed the lawsuit. Mathew and Karen Gliddon are suing on behalf of their son Mathew, age 5; Patricia Gunn on behalf of her daughter Kaylie, age 2; and Daniel and Mary Lynn Kesler over their daughter Sierra, age 9, according a story from the Tampa Tribune.

Continue reading "Tampa Hospital Mold Causes Infections Killing 3 Children" »

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Posted In: Health & Information , Medical Malpractice , Wrongful Death

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Medtronic is facing more trouble over its Infuse Bone Graft.

A Texas woman is reportedly preparing a lawsuit blaming off-label use of Infuse for injuries she suffered after cervical spine surgery. Mary Selke claims that bone formed in her neck and it made it difficult for her to breathe and swallow resulting in more surgery, this time of an emergency nature. Her physician will also reportedly provide testimony that Medtronic promoted use of the product off-label directly to physicians.

Each year, an estimated half million people undergo spinal surgery to repair and stabilize the spine after experiencing damaged discs or to remedy the condition of scoliosis. But Infuse Bone Graft has been linked to complications that have occurred during off- label use, specifically in surgery in the neck.

The family of Shirley Nisbet has sued Medtronic over the Infuse Bone Graft after the California woman died in August 2008, says a report. Nisbet had spinal-fusion surgery using Infuse in her neck. After her surgery, the suit says, Ms. Nisbet went into respiratory arrest and a coma and was kept alive by artificial means until she died.

Continue reading "Multiple Families Sue For Injuries Caused By Infused Bone Graft" »

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Posted In: Health & Information , Medical Malpractice , Wrongful Death

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We might never have known that this happened except that some good Samaritan decided to do the right thing. He or she decided to send the medical records they found in the garbage to First Coast News, the NBC/ABC affiliate in Jacksonville.

The station reported that pages upon pages of un-shredded medical documents from pediatric and adolescent psychiatrist, Dr. Angali Pathak’s office were available for the world to see. In all the records of 37 patients ended up in the newsroom along with names, prescription information addresses, social security numbers, phone numbers, and birth dates.

The doctor’s office told First Coast News that sometimes the shredder gets clogged.

Obviously, federal privacy laws have been broken and it represents an abuse of privacy on the part of the doctor and staff members who are supposed to be professionals.

HIPAA which stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, requires that documents containing personal information be shredded. The requirements were set up to protect patients against any identity and information theft and their right to privacy.

Enacted in 1996, HIPAA was designed to protect consumers so they do not lose insurance coverage when they change jobs and to reduce health care costs through standardized electronic transmission of transactions.

A HIPAA violation can carry fines of up to $250,000 and jail time of up to 10 years.

It was a good thing that someone opted to embarrass the doctor’s office instead of cash in on some innocent victim’s misfortune. No doubt there was a run on shredders at the office stores across Jacksonville after this news hit the airwaves.

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Posted In: Medical Malpractice

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Here is a distinction that does not make Florida proud.

The state ranked dead last in a national report on the ability for someone in a dire medical need to access emergency care. The study comes from the American College of Emergency Physicians. Florida placed dead last.

Most of us take it for granted that if we are in a medical emergency that we can burst through the doors of the ER and get immediate attention – just like in the movies or on television. That is not the time to find out that this study is true.

Part of the problems is that there are not enough emergency rooms in the state. While the rest of the nation has an average of 19 ERs for every million people, Florida has just seven. And they are crowded. With the numbers of uninsured getting care in an ER as well as the growing ranks of the unemployed, an ER is likely to be a very busy place when you are facing a heart attack or a traumatic injury.

The number of doctors who are willing to work in an ER is also a problem, particularly a specialist. Say you need a hand reattached – you may have to be sent somewhere else.

Many people accuse trial lawyers of driving doctors out of state because they are required to have relatively high medical malpractice insurance. The ER study urges the state to extend legal immunity to doctors who provide emergency care. That would damp the fear of malpractice, which physicians have cited as a reason for staying away from emergency medicine.

But the legislature has dismissed that proposal, arguing that it would mean doctors could not be held accountable for their actions.

Let’s look toward the lucrative industry of Big Insurance to see the origin of high-cost premiums that are making medicine a less desirable field.

Continue reading "Florida Ranks Last In ER Care " »

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Posted In: Medical Malpractice

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