Five Families Suing Virginia VA Hospital For Almost $30 Million

Five families are suing the same Veteran’s Administration hospital in separate cases of malpractice related to healthcare.

The law firm representing the plaintiffs specializes in cases malpractice cases against the VA and military healthcare systems nationwide. The firm has filed five lawsuits against the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center in Richmond, Va. One of the attorneys said it is unusual to have five individual cases brought simultaneously against the same hospital.

Each of the five families is suing for a different reason:

• An 81-year-old man was being treated at the VA for dementia when he broke his femur, however it is not clear how he broke his leg or why no one on the hospital staff discovered the broken bone. The man died less than a month later from another undetected medical malady, a bowel obstruction. His family is seeking $2 million.
• A 34-year-old Army veteran suffered complications after a reverse vasectomy he received at the VA. According to the lawsuit, he now has permanent neurological damage and is unable to conceive his own biological children as a result of the botched procedure. He is seeking $10 million.
• A man who underwent surgery after he was told by doctors at the VA that there was blockage in his left carotid artery was only supposed to spend one night in the hospital. He was finally discharged 60 days later with a limp, loss of function in one arm and brain damage following the procedure, which it turned out, he never even needed. He is seeking $2.5 million.
• An Army veteran with a traumatic brain injury had to go to a civilian hospital for treatment after he was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. He first sought treatment from the VA, but was told “there was not much to be done,” according to his lawsuit. The man and his wife spent their own money to get him treatment when the VA turned him away. He is seeking seeking $2.5 million.
• A fifth family, seeking $2.5 million in compensation, declined to offer details about their medical malpractice lawsuit against the VA medical center.

In the case of the military, sovereign immunity is a legal doctrine that says the government is immune from civil lawsuits and criminal prosecution. However, the Federal Tort Claims Act, “provides a legal window for veterans who believe they may be victims of medical malpractice on the part of VA personnel to file suit and recover compensatory damages.” Suing the government, even under the Federal Tort Claims Act, can be complicated. That is why it is important for a victim of medical malpractice by the VA to have a qualified attorney handling their case.

If you have been harmed or a loved one killed due to medical malpractice, you may be entitled to compensation. Call the offices of trial attorneys Charles Gilman and Briggs Bedigian at 800-529-6162 or contact them online. The firm handles cases in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.