Sheldon v. University of Maryland Hospital Case Result

On September 27, 2007, after an ankle injury from a fall off a ladder, Mr. Sheldon was flown by helicopter to Shock Trauma at the University of Maryland. After surgery to repair his broken ankle, and during his post-operative recovery, Mr. Sheldon developed an infectious disease at the site wound while in the hospital. Mr. Sheldon’s doctors were negligent for failing to appropriately identify, assess and treat his infection. In addition, the hospital, as a whole, was negligent for failing to have a proper discharge planning system in place to ensure patients would receive appropriate treatment and follow-up care after being discharged. As a result of the doctors’ and hospital’s negligence, Mr. Sheldon had to have his ankle amputated, which could have been avoided. After trial, a Baltimore City jury returned a verdict in Mr. Sheldon’s (and his wife) favor for $1.8 million.