Jury Finds UPMC Guilty Of Medical Malpractice; Awards Patient $5M For Gross Overdose

UPDATED: Jul 16, 2021

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UPDATED: Jul 16, 2021Fact Checked

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Jeffrey Johnson

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Jeffrey Johnson is a legal writer with a focus on personal injury. He has worked on personal injury and sovereign immunity litigation in addition to experience in family, estate, and criminal law. He earned a J.D. from the University of Baltimore and has worked in legal offices and non-profits in Maryland, Texas, and North Carolina. He has also earned an MFA in screenwriting from Chapman Univer...

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Mary Martin

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Mary Martin has been a legal writer and editor for over 20 years, responsible for ensuring that content is straightforward, correct, and helpful for the consumer. In addition, she worked on writing monthly newsletter columns for media, lawyers, and consumers. Ms. Martin also has experience with internal staff and HR operations. Mary was employed for almost 30 years by the nationwide legal publi...

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UPDATED: Jul 16, 2021

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It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right legal decisions.

We strive to help you make confident insurance and legal decisions. Finding trusted and reliable insurance quotes and legal advice should be easy. This doesn’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own.

Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about legal topics and insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything legal and insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by experts.

UPDATED: Jul 16, 2021

Advertiser Disclosure

It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right legal decisions.

We strive to help you make confident insurance and legal decisions. Finding trusted and reliable insurance quotes and legal advice should be easy. This doesn’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own.

UPDATED: Jul 16, 2021Fact Checked

A Pennsylvania jury has found the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) guilty of medical malpractice after hospital staff gave a patient eight times the amount of medication needed and left her with permanent brain damage. The patient was awarded $5 million.

Pennsylvania medical malpractice

According to news reports, 59 year old Mary Ellen Pfeifer was diagnosed with an electrolyte and sodium deficiency in 2006. She was admitted to UPMC where staff planned on slowly correcting her deficiency. However, she was accidentally given eight times the medication she required. This caused Pfeifer to suffer permanent brain damage and she now has impaired speech, difficulty walking, requires in-home health care and can no longer work. She sued UPMC for medical malpractice and a jury awarded her $5 million for the hospital’s seemingly gross medical care. The award will allow Pfeifer to stay in her home and receive future medical care.

Medical malpractice claims aren’t limited to the aged

Medical malpractice claims in Pennsylvania are certainly not limited to the aged. In fact, a Pennsylvania jury recently awarded the family of a seven-year old boy $20.5 million in a medical malpractice lawsuit involving a birth injury. It is estimated to be the largest single medical malpractice verdict in northeastern Pennsylvania.

In that case, staff at a PA hospital realized that the unborn child was not receiving enough oxygen to his brain. However, instead of acting immediately, staff waited nearly two hours before performing a Cesarean (C) section – the result being that the child was born mentally retarded, has cerebral palsy, is nearly totally blind and cannot walk or talk. Although now seven, he allegedly functions on the level of a six to nine month old.

If you or a family member have been injured due to a hospital’s negligence, contact an experienced Pennsylvania medical malpractice attorney to discuss your situation and determine what options may be available to you. Consultations are free, without obligation and are strictly confidential.

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Jeffrey Johnson

Insurance Lawyer

Jeffrey Johnson is a legal writer with a focus on personal injury. He has worked on personal injury and sovereign immunity litigation in addition to experience in family, estate, and criminal law. He earned a J.D. from the University of Baltimore and has worked in legal offices and non-profits in Maryland, Texas, and North Carolina. He has also earned an MFA in screenwriting from Chapman Univer...

Insurance Lawyer

Mary Martin

Published Legal Expert

Mary Martin has been a legal writer and editor for over 20 years, responsible for ensuring that content is straightforward, correct, and helpful for the consumer. In addition, she worked on writing monthly newsletter columns for media, lawyers, and consumers. Ms. Martin also has experience with internal staff and HR operations. Mary was employed for almost 30 years by the nationwide legal publi...

Published Legal Expert

Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about legal topics and insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything legal and insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by experts.

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