Seven years after Robby Lee Ward’s death from a heart attack, a Middlesex County Superior Court jury has awarded a $3.4 million Cambridge, MA medical malpractice award to his Harvard family. Ordered to pay the verdict in this case is Dr. Peter J. DeMartino of Acton Medical Associates. (A second defendant doctor who is also from this medical group was found to not have provided negligent medical care to the victim.)
Ward, an insurance salesman, passed away four months after emergency medical workers rushed him to Mount Auburn Hospital because he was experiencing chest pains. While at the hospital, staff there diagnosed that Ward wasn’t having an active heart attack but that he still could be experiencing some type of coronary problem.
After Ward’s release, his primary care physician told him to stop taking aspirin, which becomes a blood thinner for patients at risk of suffering from a heart attack. However, according to the Cambridge wrongful death complaint, the doctor never pressed Ward to go see a cardiologist. After Ward’s death, autopsy findings showed that he had been suffering from heart damage and coronary heart disease.
The plaintiffs, including Ward’s widow and two adult children, accused DeMartino of providing him with negligent medical treatment and care.
Heart Attacks
Each year, tends of thousands of Americans end up dying from some type of coronary-related trauma. For those that are lucky enough to survive a heart attack, they are often left with serious permanent heart damage. This is why it is so important that the symptoms of a heart attack or any other heart problems are diagnosed correctly and immediately.
Misdiagnosis, no diagnosis, and delayed diagnosis are common reasons why heart attack victims are left with serious damage or end up dying. Early prevention and detection can save lives. Unfortunately, doctors have been known to miss the warning signs of a heart attack, stroke, or some other type of cardiovascular disease.
Mass. doctor could pay $5.8M in heart attack malpractice suit, Boston Business Journal, June 28, 2012
Heart attack symptoms: Know what’s a medical emergency, Mayo Clinic
More Blog Posts:
Massachusetts Hospitals Seek Medical Malpractice “Road to Reform,” Boston Injury Lawyer, April 18, 2012
Massachusetts medical board is not up to par, hiding medical misconduct, Boston Injury Lawyer, March 18, 2012
Did Boston Surgical Error Cause Red Sox Relief Pitcher to Miss Baseball Season?, Boston Injury Lawyer, February 24, 2012
If you believe that your loved one’s heart attack could be attributed to negligent medical care, you should speak with an experienced Boston injury lawyer right away.