Charles G. Monnett III & Associates and co-counsel, the Scarlett Law Group of San Francisco, successfully resolved a Medical Negligence case for a 1-year-old child who was admitted to a North Carolina Hospital for observation following multiple skull fractures from a home accident, but later suffered an undetected case of bacterial meningitis that caused severe neurological damage.
After a three-week trial, a jury returned a verdict in favor of the child and his family. Following the verdict, the parties agreed to a $13,000,000 settlement prior to the start of the damages phase of the trial.
Monnett and Scarlett took the case to trial with no offer from the defendants.
Although initial CT scans demonstrated multiple skull fractures, the child initially appeared neurologically normal. However, on the first night following admission, the child’s temperature spiked to 104.8°.
Although the nature and location of the fractures significantly increased the risk that the child could develop bacterial meningitis, the child’s doctors failed to prescribe antibiotics or perform a lumbar puncture following the extremely high fever.
Physicians ordered a blood culture which later showed the presence of gram-positive bacteria in the child’s blood. Despite the increased risk and blood culture results, an alternate diagnosis of possible pneumonia was made, and treatment began with low levels of the wrong antibiotics (at insufficient levels to treat meningitis).
The child’s neurological status declined. By the time meningitis was seriously considered, treatment was too late and the child had already suffered severe neurologic complications.
During the trial, Monnett and Scarlett were able to show that the hospital’s early CT scans clearly demonstrated fractures that directly communicated between the mastoid air cells, middle ear, and cranial cavity. This very same location was also the site where evidence of meningitis was most pronounced on later imaging studies.
Multiple state-of-the-art illustrations, 3D reconstructions of CT data (3D Precision Diagnostics), and a 3D printed physical model of the skull were developed and successfully used during the trial to support the Plaintiffs’ arguments and experts’ testimony.
We Can Help
The experienced Medical Negligence attorneys at Charles G. Monnett III & Associates provide free, no-obligation consultations, support, and assistance in finding resources to help you and your family deal with serious injuries or death, as a result of Medical Negligence. We can also help you pursue legal action.
