Woman Awarded $1.3m in Malpractice Case

A Maryland woman has been awarded $1.3 million for medical expenses, lost wages and pain and suffering after finding her surgeon guilty of negligence and violating the standard of care. 
 
Doreen Jarvis, an employee at Hood College, Frederick, Maryland, underwent a gynaecological laparoscopic procedure at Frederick Memorial hospital after suffering from tenderness in her ovary and abdomen.  
 
Her lawyer Marian L Hogan said:  
 
"It wasn't a complicated procedure, she was supposed to be in and out of there."  
 
However, during surgery, the surgeon Dr Gerrit J. Schipper cut Jarvis' iliac artery and also damaged an iliac vein in her leg. Both the vein and artery are major blood vessels. Jarvis' lawyers stated that Jarvis "lost almost her entire blood volume" and needed emergency lifesaving surgery and further treatment in hospital. Jarvis also lost a tooth during emergency intubation and required extensive dental work.  
 
Two weeks after the surgery, Jarvis was readmitted to hospital suffering from deep vein thrombosis and now faces the additional risk of other clots forming. She missed work for 3 months and now has to wear a special thick stocking on her left leg.  
 
The jury took two hours calculating Doreen Jarvis' award and decided on an award of $1.3 million against Dr Schipper.