Case Studies

We have a track record of successful recoveries for injured persons. We have represented people injured by doctors, hurt in car wrecks, injured on the job, hurt by dangerous products and drugs.  We have recovered numerous multi-million settlements for our clients.  Below are some examples of successful recoveries for our clients injuries.  

Birth Injuries

The lawyers of DCH successfully represented Alex Washington of Greenville, Miss. While 40 weeks pregnant with Alex, Alex’s mother Zana was hospitalized at the King’s Daughters Hospital for a condition known as preeclampsia. The fetal monitor showed late decelerations the morning after she was admitted to the hospital. Her doctor ordered an emergency cesarean section in an attempt to save the baby, who was showing signs of fetal distress. Even after the emergency C-sectin was ordered, Zana waited an additional 45 minutes for the hospital staff to prepare her for the procedure. During this time, Alex was suffering from a lack of oxygen which resulted in severe and permanent brain damage. The jury returned a verdict of $12 million in favor of Alex Washington.

The lawyers of DCH successfully represented Breanna Hickman. Breanna was born with severe and permanent brain damage caused by the negligence of University of Tennessee Medical Group. The doctor and nurse midwife in charge of caring for Breanna and her mother, Maureen Meserve Veniegas, did not communicate with one another about their duties. They failed to properly monitor and interpret fetal heart signs that indicated Breanna was in distress and being deprived of oxygen. As a result, Breanna sustained severe brain damage. The jury returned a $9 million verdict, one of the largest in Shelby County history at the time, in favor of Breanna and her family.

DCH staff achieved a just settlement for a boy who was born with severe damage to his brain and nervous system. The boy’s mother was admitted to a local hospital for an outpatient assessment at 10 a.m. and remained there until 6 p.m. As the hospital staff’s shift changed at 5 p.m. the doctors coming on duty were not properly notified of the mother’s status. The doctors failed to provide appropriate orders and instructions to address the signs and symptoms exhibited by the mother, and as a result, the baby suffered a hypoxic event and was without oxygen for a period of time that resulted in the injuries.

DCH represented a 19-year-old mother, who was admitted to a local hospital after going into labor. She was given Pitocin, a synthetic hormone used for labor induction, off and on throughout her first day of labor. Her labor failed to progress even with the use of Pitocin. Nearly two days after she was admitted, her baby was delivered via emergency cesarean section after attempts were made to deliver the child with the use of forceps and vacuum. Due to the slow reactions of the physicians, the child suffered hypoxia (a condition in which the body as a whole or a specific region of the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply) during labor and delivery and was born with severe brain damage. DCH achieved a settlement that has allowed for this family to properly manage the child’s care.

Medical Negligence

DCH represented a woman who saw a local doctor at a Memphis medical group for a total abdominal hysterectomy. A preliminary pathology report on the removed uterus was issued, which revealed high-grade leiomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer. The patient was seen by the doctor for three post-operative follow ups, but she was never informed about the pathology report. A year later, our client presented to the emergency room with congestion, fever and coughing symptoms. A chest X-ray revealed a mass density that a biopsy proved to be the same leiomyosarcoma that had been detected in the pathology report. The cancer had spread to her lungs, ultimately resulting in her death. DCH achieved a just settlement in favor of the victim’s family.

DCH represented a 61-year-old man who was treated by a local orthopedic group to surgically repair a total right knee prosthesis. The surgery was tolerated well, and the patient initially did well post-operatively, but he later developed an infection at the site of the surgery. The doctor noticed the infection and noted that arrangements would be made to admit him to the hospital that day. He was admitted the next day in a state of septic shock. He waited in the hospital an additional six days for the doctor to perform the necessary operation to drain and clean the infected knee. After the surgery, our client had a progressive downhill course, and died as a result of septic shock from Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) sepsis and associated complications. A settlement was achieved in favor of the family.

DCH represented a man who was negligently treated by a local hospital for a gunshot wound to his face. During the course of his treatment, his mouth was wired shut to promote the healing of a left mandibular fracture. At this time, our client was alert and able to assist his caregivers when necessary. He experienced bleeding from his mouth for approximately 45 minutes, but his mouth was still wired shut, blocking the nurses attending him from clearing his airway of the blood that was accumulating. Subsequently, he suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest until an anesthesiologist cut the wires and cleared his airway. This proper action was not performed in a timely manner, resulting in severe permanent neurological deficits. A just settlement was achieved in his favor.

Wrongful Death

A woman who was 30 weeks pregnant went to a local hospital with vaginal bleeding. She waited in the emergency room for nearly two hours while the doctor on duty ordered a urine pregnancy test and waited for the results. Only after the doctor confirmed that she was pregnant was the decision made to transfer her to her obstetrician for an emergency C-section. She then waited an additional 40 minutes to be transferred. Upon her arrival, it was found that the baby died in utero. The health care providers were negligent for the untimely transfer to another facility and failure to diagnose the mother’s condition. DCH helped settle the case out of court in favor of the mother.

DCH represented the mother of a 26-year-old man who was killed when he suffered second-and third-degree burns all over his body. The man was washing up for work when a piece of PVC pipe that had been used to repair a hot water pipe became dislodged, spewing scalding hot water all over him. After nearly two weeks of treatment in a burn center, our client passed away. PVC pipe was not meant for use in hot water systems. Additionally, the water that came out was much hotter than what would be considered safe to touch. Both the pipe and the temperature setting of the water heater were the responsibility of the landlord and not the tenant. DCH sued the landlord and achieved a settlement for the man’s mother.

Auto/Trucking

A man was driving a semi truck on Highway 78 in Mississippi when he was rear-ended by a negligent driver in another semi truck owned by a large freight trucking company. Our client had just dropped off a trailer in tupelo, Miss., and was headed back to Memphis, Tenn. He was struck while going up an incline with such force it caused his semi truck to roll down into a shallow embankment. An eyewitness described the collision as being “like an explosion.” The man sustained fatal injuries as a result. He was treated at the trauma center at The Regional Medical Center at Memphis for more than one month, but he later died of multiple organ failure as a result of injuries sustained in the collision. DCH represented the man’s wife and grown children and successfully secured a settlement.

DCH represented the family of a woman who was killed in an auto accident. She was traveling as a backseat passenger in a car through Ripley, Tenn., when the car was rear-ended by a semi truck. The tractor-trailer hit with such force that it knocked the car off the four lane road and into the median. The truck driver was at fault for following too closely, and we negotiated a settlement for her family.

Product Liability

DCH represented clients against Bausch & Lomb Inc., the makers of ReNu with Moisture Loc contact lens solution. Our clients suffered injuries to the eye resulting from a condition known as Fusarium keratitis, which can arise from a fungal infection. The fungus penetrated the tissue of the eyeball causing damage to the cornea. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning in 2006 that they had discovered a potential connection between ReNu with MoistureLoc and a rise in the incidence of Fusarium keratitis. Bausch & Lomb expressly denied any liability relating to their ReNu with MoistureLoc product. The Claims were settled out of court in favor of DCH’s clients.

DCH represented a man from Mississippi who was killed while operating a gasoline tanker. The man was offloading the tanker at a service station when fumes started to pool up around the tanker. The man was able to warn service station employees and customers of the hazard before the tanker truck violently exploded. The tanker had a faulty shut-off valve which allowed the gasoline fumes to ignite. The explosion burned the man over 50% of his body. He was treated at a burn center for nearly two years, but ultimately died as a result of his burns. DCH settled the case out of court in favor of the widow and the man’s children.