A 17-year old German exchange student recovered a $5 million medical malpractice settlement against an emergency room physician and a Minnesota hospital after suffering an injured knee in a water-skiing accident.
The emergency room physician failed to appreciate that the patient was suffering from a dislocated knee that had injured the popliteal artery. Compartment syndrome set in, and the teen suffered significant vascular compromise and irreversible damage to his lower extremity.
Amputation was recommended upon presentation to an unrelated Minnesota hospital. However, upon the insistence of his mother, the young man was transferred via Lear jet air ambulance to Germany, where surgeons were able to save the leg.
Nevertheless, the student had suffered irreversible damage and may still require an amputation in years to come. The student filed suit in Minnesota. Defendants opposed mediation, as Minnesota does not require parties to attend mediation in a medical malpractice matter without consent.
Plaintiff attorney Michael R. Jackson and Bonnie J. Jackson of Winter Park, Florida, litigated the matter and disclosed 10 expert witnesses in advance of trial. Defense counsel ultimately requested that the matter be mediated. At mediation, the case was successfully resolved for $5 million. The terms of the confidential settlement agreement, however, bar the disclosure of the names of the parties, the names of defense counsel.
