Every year in the UK over 12,000 people fall victim to medical negligence, from emergency medicine to botched surgeries. Medical negligence can happen to anyone, even celebrities, and here are some cases that may be of interest.
Joan Rivers
Comedian Joan Rivers suffered a heart attack in 2014 after undergoing routine throat surgery days earlier and later died. Investigations into her death revealed that numerous mistakes were made both during the operation and afterwards, including not responding to deteriorating vital signs, using the wrong dosage of anesthetic, and even taking pictures with the star while she was under anesthesia.
These shortcomings led to surviving family members filing a lawsuit against the surgical center to “ensure the focus of this horrific incident remains on improving patient care and Joan Rivers’ legacy.”
Dennis Quaid and family
In 2007, Hollywood actor Dennis Quaid and his wife Kimberly welcomed two beautiful twin boys into the world. However, after the twins contracted an infection, staff put them on 10,000 units of blood thinner instead of the recommended 10 units, causing their blood to turn the consistency of water and leaving them in critical condition. The children later recovered after spending a week in intensive care, but the medical center where this happened was sued and the family was awarded $750,000 in medical negligence compensation.
Leslie Ash
Leslie Ash, a British actress, has been awarded nearly £5million in compensation after contracting MRSA through the NHS. In 2004, Ash was admitted to a London hospital with broken ribs and a punctured lung, but caught the superbug on an epidural needle, which became detached. This left her temporarily paralyzed from the waist down and subsequently ruined her career. As a result of this incident, the NHS updated its guidelines and offered nurses further training on infection surveillance to avoid anything like this happening in the future.
Peter Burns
The lead singer of 80’s band Dead or Alive, Pete Burns, was the victim of medical negligence in the form of a botched plastic surgery that he says ruined his career and life. Bruns was treated to correct problems related to a previous Alloderm implant, but was injected with a lip filler called OUTLINE Original, which has warnings on it for use in conjunction with other products. The filler’s reaction caused swelling, blisters, lumps, and discharge, making it impossible for him to eat or drink normally. After the dr. After admitting negligence, Burns was awarded a £450,000 out-of-court settlement.
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