Firm Recovers Record $5 Million for Family

Silverman Thompson Attorneys Andrew G. Slutkin and Jamison G. White settled a medical malpractice case for $5 million on behalf of the surviving family of a 48 year-old man who died of an undiagnosed pulmonary embolism following routine ankle surgery. In the lawsuit, the family alleged that at a routine post-surgical follow-up visit, the decedent complained of cast tightness and shortness of breath, two classic warning signs of a blood clot in the legs that can break off and become a blood clot in the lungs (a pulmonary embolism), to three of the facility’s health care providers, including the surgeon who performed the ankle repair surgery. Despite these clear warning signs, the health care providers dismissed his concerns and sent him home. Less than 72 hours later, the decedent collapsed and died. An autopsy subsequently revealed the decedent died from a massive pulmonary embolism. The settlement is believed to be the largest settlement ever in Maryland in a case involving pulmonary embolism.