What Happened
Our client, a hardworking real estate appraiser, suffered a horrific arm injury after falling through a rotten wooden deck during a routine property inspection. He arrived at the hospital with extensive skin loss, contaminated soft tissue injury, and a large expanding hematoma after being exposed to dirt, debris, and rotting wood.
Despite recognizing the severity of the injury and administering tetanus prophylaxis, the trauma team discharged him without antibiotics, without an infectious disease consultation, and without adequate coordination for follow-up wound care.
Within days, our client developed overwhelming infection and sepsis. He returned to the hospital critically ill and required emergency surgery, extensive debridement, multiple additional operations, prolonged hospitalization, and wound vacuum therapy. Cultures later identified a serious soil-associated bacterial infection.
At trial, we showed that this was not an unavoidable complication—it was a preventable outcome. Expert testimony established that contaminated traumatic wounds like this require timely recognition, coordinated wound care, and prophylactic antibiotics to reduce the risk of catastrophic infection.
The jury returned a verdict in favor of our client.
Today, our client lives with permanent arm disfigurement, tissue loss, pain, and functional limitations—but he was heard, believed, and vindicated.
Hospitals have lawyers. You should too.
Practice Areas Involved
This result arose from the kind of care reviewed on these pages. If something similar happened in your family, they explain what the records are read for.