In July 2014, 58-year-old James Griswold was scheduled for a nuclear stress imaging test at Advance Cardiovascular Specialists in Connecticut. He expressed his concern to the medical staff regarding the integrity of the table on which he was instructed to lie down on for the test because he weighed 340 pounds at that time. He alleged that the medical staff told him not to tell them how to do their job and assured him that heavier patients had been placed on the table without any problems.
Shortly after Mr. Griswold had laid down on the table, he heard a loud popping noise and the head of the table suddenly, forcefully and violently fell to the floor, causing Mr. Griswold to suffer injuries to his spine, neck, and back. He alleged that he was required to undergo three separate surgeries to treat his injuries. He also alleged that he developed a blood clot that led to a stroke causing serious neurological injuries. He spent considerable time in hospitals and a nursing home as a result. He alleged that he is unable to walk unassisted and cannot use the toilet independently as a result, and that he continues to suffer from expressive aphasia and other serious medical conditions as a result of the defendants’ negligence.
The Griswolds’ medical malpractice attorneys argued to the jury that the medical providers were negligent in ordering the stress test without proper clinical indicators for the stress test.
The Connecticut medical malpractice Complaint was filed on September 23, 2016 and sought compensatory damages in excess of $15,000.
The Connecticut medical malpractice jury reached its verdict on April 5, 2024 after three weeks of deliberations. The jury awarded $3 million in economic damages to Mr. Griswold, $4 million in noneconomic damages for his pain and suffering, and $2 million to Mrs. Griswold for her loss of consortium claim. The trial court added $5.4 million to the jury’s compensatory damages awards for prejudgment interest, for a total of $14.4 million.
The plaintiffs reportedly had offered to settle their claims with the defendants for $2 million in 2016 but the defendants reportedly failed to respond to the settlement demand until the jury began to deliberate, by which time it was too late to accept the settlement demand.
One of the plaintiffs’ Connecticut medical malpractice attorneys stated after the verdict, “We’re pleased that the jury rejected the attacks on Mr. and Mrs. Griswold during the trial and recognized the defendants’ responsibility for causing Mr. Griswold’s terrible injuries. This is yet another example of a jury sorting through a lot of misdirection and finding a just result.”
If you or a loved one have suffered serious harm or death as a result of medical negligence in Connecticut or in another U.S. state, you should promptly find a Connecticut medical malpractice attorney, or a medical malpractice attorney in your state, who may investigate your medical malpractice claim for you and represent you or your loved one in a medical malpractice case, if appropriate.
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