A 45 year old rancher was awarded 6 million dollars in a medical malpractice lawsuit in Hawaii. Court records reflect that the Plaintiff went to Dr. Seid in 2001 when tests were run for health insurance and showed signs of kidney disease. For 2 years Dr. Seid treated the Plaintiff for high blood pressure, ignoring the test results regarding kidney disease. Dr. Seid eventually referred the Plaintiff to a specialist, but by this time his kidneys were already dead. The Plaintiff's expert witness testified that the Plaintiff should have been referred to a specialist in 2001 and that if his kidneys were timely and properly treated that the loss of his kidney function could have been delayed or prevented. The Plaintiff was a business owner in central Oahu and suffered catastrophic injury to both his health and his business.

Most doctors are skilled and qualified. However, medical studies show that at least 100,000 deaths per year come from medical mistakes. This does not count the toll on persons seriously injured. Unfortunately, this drives the cost of health care up, as patients like the one described above will now either need a lifetime of dialysis or a transplant. Better care not only saves lives, but also saves money.

Web Resources

Legal links:

• Christian & Davis, LLC's main website
• South Carolina Bar Association
• American Association for Justice
• South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association
• Findlaw
• Lawyers.com

Consumer and workers info links:

• Workcompcentral.com
• Home Safety Council
• People Over Profits Grassroots Action Center

Governmental links:

• South Carolina Judicial Department
• United States Judicial Department
• South Carolina Legislature
• Food and Drug Administration
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration
• U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission

Nursing Home links:

• South Carolina LTC Ombudsman
• National Citizens' Coalition for Nursing Home Reform
• Member of the Family - Nursing Home Quality Trends & Staffing

Medical Resources:

• Lectric Law Library Lawcopedia's: Medical Malpractice
• New England Journal of Medicine
• Agency for Quality Health Care and Research
• Anatomy of the Human Body
• Workers Compensation Agencies
• National Library of Medicine
• Physician Profiles - Healthcare Choices
• AMA - Physician Sheet Health Grade
• Hospital Report Cards
• Merck Manual of Diagnosis & Therapy
• Merck Manual of Medical Information
• National Health Law Program HealthTouch
• Prescription Drug Information MedExplorer
• Medical Dictionaries