On Sep. 22, 2015, Delfino Cuautle, father of three, had to undergo an emergency amputation of his leg above the knee due to a series of bureaucratic bungling at Coney Island Hospital, NYC. The 13 hours delay in surgery triggered the need for amputation of Cuautle's leg. Cuautle filed a medical malpractice lawsuit at Brooklyn Federal Court. The jury awarded him $24 million for his suffering that could have been easily prevented had timely treatment been initiated.

Read more: Bureaucratic Bungling at City Hospital Cost Brooklyn Man His Leg

Children and the elderly are highly vulnerable populations when it comes to suffering from the negligence of another person. Even the slightest disregard can cause them substantial injury, or worse, death. There is no pain worse than losing a loved one due to the inattention or lack of care of someone else. This is why the legal system has created “wrongful death claims.”

Read more: Who is Liable For Wrongful Death of a Child or Elderly Person?

While medical malpractice seems like a scary thing to fathom, it happens more often than we would like to believe. Moreover, medical malpractice lawsuits get some of the biggest payouts in the United States, especially in NYC. On average, a serious case of clinical negligence pays out more than $650,000 in a settlement. The city made the single largest payout of 2015 against a medical malpractice lawsuit filed by an autistic woman against the Health and Hospitals Corporation, NYC. 

Read more: NYC Pays Millions in Settlement for Medical Negligence Claims Yearly

Bronx man Randy Nero, 40, who had an obsessive and uncontrollable habit of swallowing toothbrushes, choked on a toothbrush contained in a personal hygiene kit that a hospital nurse gave him. Nero decided to sue Jacobi Medical Center in 2018 for what he claimed is ‘medical malpractice,’ saying the nurse should have known about his decades-long history of being a compulsive toothbrush eater. He has filed a lawsuit against the hospital in the Bronx Supreme Court.

Read more: Schizophrenic Bronx Man Sues Jacobi Medical Center for Malpractice

Each year, 17,500 people in the United States suffer from spinal cord injuries. This is 48 new injuries on a daily basis. Most of these people get injured in falls, auto accidents, sports-related accidents, and violence. Newly injured patients are generally aged 42.

Read more: Is There a Cure For Spinal Cord Injury?

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