In February of 2012, 46 year old Jeannette Collins reported to the Henry Piedmont Hospital Emergency Room (ER) in Georgia with complaints of nausea, abdominal pain, and vomiting. Tests were ordered in the ER that ultimately showed that Ms. Collins had a small bowel obstruction requiring surgery. At trial, both the Plaintiff, Mr. Collins, and the Defendant Dr. Ahmad Nuriddin agreed that this was the proper procedure under the circumstances. During the surgery, however, the Defendants contend that they discovered that Ms. Collins had gastric outlet obstruction which is a problem that will keep the stomach from emptying.
As such, the Defendants performed a procedure to correct the alleged outlet obstruction by severing a nerve to both the stomach and the intestine meant to reduce acid production; the procedure, once performed, can not be reversed. The Plaintiff’s medical experts testified at trial, however, that Ms. Collins did not suffer from said gastric outlet obstruction and, furthermore, that the procedure that was performed was an act of last resort, outdated, and, in this case, unnecessary.
As a result of the gastric outlet obstruction procedure, Ms. Collins’ now becomes extremely nauseated when she eats any solid food so her diet now consists of only pureed foods and smoothies, and this is most likely going to be her dietary situation for the rest of her life and she is in her late forties to fifty years old. Even with her strict diet, Ms. Collin’s suffers from bouts of nausea more than one (1) time per week. One medical expert described Ms. Collins’ condition as that of someone who is constantly living with the stomach flu. Despite the egregious nature of Ms. Collins’ injuries, the Defense never made an offer to settle the case prior to trial.
While the Jury was deliberating, the parties did reach a confidential agreement that would insure that the Plaintiff received a monetary award regardless of what verdict the jury returned and that there would be no appeal in the case. After a lengthy deliberation, the jury returned a verdict of $ 4 Million Dollars and No/00th ($ 4,000,000.00). Ms. Collins, after three (3) long years of preparing for trial under less than desirable medical conditions, and still working outside the home and being a single mom as well as a grandmother who has extended family living in her home, now finally has some resources. Despite the amount of her resources, the brave Ms. Collins, a customer service representative for a cellphone company, has responded, “I want to keep my job.” The case is Collins v. Nuriddin, No. 2013CV01064C.
At Julie A. Rice, Attorney at Law, & Affiliates our hearts and sympathies go out to any individual who has suffered needlessly due to negligence in the medical profession. Our Medical Malpractice Lawyers are in tune with our clients and feel the deep loss in situations such as this case that we have discussed today. Ms. Collins is a strong woman who is surviving under some of the most tragic of situations. Unfortunately, too often we do not see people who have such strength to continue if that person has suffered such a tragedy or if that person has lost a loved one due to Medical Malpractice.
If you or a loved one has suffered from the negligent acts of another or if you have lost a loved one from the negligent acts of another, then we are truly sorry. We are here to assist you in these times of need and we offer a Free Legal Consultation and you may reach us by any or all of the following means: By phone at 770-865-8654 or 813-363-6664; by email at juliericelaw@outlook.com; by the Contact Form on our website; and/or by the Contact Form on this blog. We look forward to hearing from you soon and discussing with you the issues of your case.