“The surgeon that she saw to follow up from her imaging scans and stuff did recommend that she have a head surgery of her colon, a resection of her colon. My sister and I both expressed to the surgeon and the surgeon’s partner that we expected a leak and the first person to mention that was my mom herself.
My mom being an RN that worked at that hospital for a number of years and myself being an RN as well. There was obvious signs of an infection brewing and they weren’t listening to my mother’s complaints or mine about these obvious signs of an infection. I mean, she wasn’t getting any better.
It got to the point my mother had demanded, as did I, after asking and being blown off for a CT of her abdomen, it wasn’t until days again later that they did open her up and by that time the leak had abscessed in her abdomen, and she was already septic and in septic shock.
And when, so when the surgeon did finally come back to the hospital and took my mother in for what she referred to as an exploratory surgery, it was confirmed during that exploratory surgery the infection, the leak that we had suspected days before and complained about days before and asked intervention for days before.
So the delay in any intervention on behalf of the surgeons or the doctors, it was tragic for my mother in the sense that they never ordered any imaging, they never ordered that CT scan, they didn’t provide any antibiotics for my mother. They didn’t increase her level of observation as far as monitoring her vital signs, lab work, or anything.
After the first exploratory surgery, my mother was no longer able to communicate with us any longer. then did a surgery following that to degrade the flesh-eating bacteria, the necrotic tissue. They ultimately ended up amputating my mother’s leg the following day. And by that time, they had taken her off all the surgical medications that could be sedated. And she was so sick and ill that she was not able to ever communicate with us.
So it was long before my mother was on life support, a day or so, that I had decided to retain Mr. Shapiro. My sister and I agreed that even before my mom had passed away and even before my mom had the amputation surgery, it was the last surgery that they did, that we knew we needed to file a claim even before all of that last stuff happened.
My sister said she hired Shapiro and Washburn for our attorneys. It was almost like, okay, fantastic. We got to get this going and based on the reviews and we looked up on the internet and talked to some people in the community and it was fantastic reviews. I met Mr. Shapiro, the day I contacted him, he came straight to the hospital where I was with my mother.
The results of the autopsy were, was another confirming factor that the leak from her abdomen did cause the infection, what not, that spread into my mom’s right thigh and down her leg.
And in addition to retaining the medical experts that were practicing the same field as the surgeons, they went a step further and also retained an infectious disease doctor, which was important to, for that, so that we’d have that testimony at court because the surgeon never consulted with or reached out to an infectious disease doctor when it was necessary for my mother.
So as part of the preparation for the trial, Mr. Shapiro, he went to great lengths to do a ton of research and discovery and worked with experts tirelessly to create one of the most useful tools, I think was the illustrations that they put together, Mr. Shapiro, after meeting with these professionals. And all of these illustrations were used in the trial by both sides, the defense and the prosecution.
The entire process, getting ready for trial and you know, all of that is a very anxious process and it’s a very in-depth process. It’s an intimidating process to say the least and throughout all of our preparation we spent countless hours and appointments and phone calls, etc. whatever we needed with the law firm, with know, our attorney and we were counseled, and we were advised and the representation was, we couldn’t ask for anything better. The preparation, I felt completely prepared.
So then ultimately the trial, lasted an entire week. It felt like a year. Waiting for that verdict was. . . I don’t know if there’s any words to really describe that anguish. It was the most anxious and nerve-racking couple of days that I’ve ever had. But when the four person did ultimately read the verdict, and that it was in our favor, it was the closest thing to victory that I’ve ever felt. I could cry again talking about it, but it was, it’s a strange feeling, I will tell you that. It’s very, very good feeling that we won. It’s victorious, fantastic, but also testimony to the fact that the negligence for my mom and the reason she’s not here was clear and that was very clear to the entire panel of the jury as well.
So our family had a tragedy that was unexpected and terrible, life changing. And if I hear of anybody or somebody comes to me and asks me for recommendations, what do I do? Where do I go? I will, without hesitation, recommend Mr. Shapiro and his law firm, Eric Washburn. They’re fantastic team, fantastic representation. Support was huge.
In every step of the way, I honestly feel as if this firm, these people here are in my circle now, my personal circle, even after the trial is done. My decision to retain him and when I did was probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my entire life.
It didn’t bring my mother back, but it brought us true justice. it’s just. . . I mean, I’ll forever be grateful.”
Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp is a personal injury law firm dedicated to serving the communities of Virginia and North Carolina. As a firm, we are passionate about helping injured clients recover maximum compensation and are committed to excellence, diversity, inclusion, and equal rights for all. Whether you need an attorney after a car accident, a medical malpractice case, or wrongful death, we can help. Call Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp today at 833-997-1774 for a free consultation to discuss your case and explore your legal options.