South Carolina Personal Injury Law Blog

Hospital sued for negligence in treatment of former activist

Published on: July 7, 2014 | by Patrick E. Knie

South Carolina residents may be interested in hearing about recent events that have followed the 2012 death of Russell Means, a prominent American Indian activist. The widow of the activist, who died of cancer at the age of 72, is suing a New Mexico hospital for medical malpractice and wrongful death, saying that the hospital failed to diagnose her husband’s esophageal cancer until it had already spread throughout his body.

According to the widow’s complaint, the hospital suggested that the symptoms that Means was experiencing, including difficulty swallowing and spitting up blood, were possibly caused by an enlarged tonsil when the man went into the hospital in 2011. However, Means had undergone a tonsillectomy as a child. The former leader of the American Indian Movement and member of the Oglala Lakota tribe had been an activist since the 1960s when he began protesting the use of American Indian images as sports mascots. In 1973, the activist protested the federal government’s mistreatment of American Indians by occupying a village at Wounded Knee in South Dakota for 72 days at the site of an 1890 massacre of Lakotas by U.S. troops.

Three Dead from Infection at Greenville Health System

Published on: July 2, 2014 | by Patrick E. Knie

The Greenville Health System in Greenville, SC has reported three deaths and a total of fifteen people infected with an infection to which surgical patients were exposed. GHS says the infections are caused by an atypical mycobacterium. The hospital along with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control are working to identify the source of the infection, however they believe it is related to a piece of equipment which has been removed from use.

The hospital has said that this infection is not contagious to others, but there could be more undiscovered cases. In its statement GHS said, “Because of the organism’s long incubation period of as much as 60 days, some of the GHS patients did not show signs of infection until months after their surgeries. The first-recognized patient tested positive in March 2014. Patients who tested positive are being notified.”

How much car insurance do I need in South Carolina?

Published on: June 19, 2014 | by Patrick E. Knie

Under South Carolina law each car must have $25,000 in liability insurance coverage. Liability coverage only protects other drivers from your negligence. You cannot collect liability coverage on your car for injuries you receive. If you own a home or have other assets you should talk with your agent and consider raising your liability limits, because if you cause injuries to someone else and do not have enough liability coverage to compensate them for their injuries, your home and other assets could be at risk.

In South Carolina, every car must also have uninsured motorist coverage in the amount of $25,000. If an uninsured motorist hits you, you will be covered with up to $25,000 in insurance. You should consider raising the limits of that coverage.

3 injured in South Carolina plant explosion

Published on: June 16, 2014 | by Patrick E. Knie

Parts of South Carolina are heavily industrialized, and plant employees work hard for their income. When a serious workplace accident leaves an industrial worker injured, the incident should be thoroughly investigated to determine if any safety violations occurred. The injury and any related medical treatment should also be well documented for a workers’ compensation claim.

A recent explosion at a radiator plant in Edgefield County is being investigated by the South Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The blast injured three workers, two of whom were still in critical condition at the time of a local report. One man reportedly suffered burns on 50 percent of his body, and another man was burned on 30 percent of his body. The third injured worker was treated and released.

Woman sues radiology company over multiple cancer misdiagnoses

Published on: June 2, 2014 | by Patrick E. Knie

These days, to maintain your health, you have to be proactive. If you can manage it, exercising is a good idea, and getting regular medical checkups could be crucial to preventing or properly treating an illness. However, even when patients do try to cover their bases and seek preventative care, sometimes medical professionals fail in their duties and misdiagnose an illness.

That was the case for one woman who in 2007 underwent her first mammogram. She thought she was being proactive about her health, but she undoubtedly came away from the experience worried. A calcification about the size of a nickel was revealed in her right breast.

Roads expected to be especially crowded this Memorial Day weekend

Published on: May 23, 2014 | by Patrick E. Knie

This weekend is Memorial Day weekend, which means that many people here in South Carolina, after finishing up their work day, will be taking to the roads for some holiday traveling. They may find the roads to be particularly crowded this year, according to estimates from AAA-Carolinas.

The motor club estimates that, this weekend, around 452,000 motorists from South Carolina will be taking automobile trips in excess of 50 miles. If this estimate and the motor club’s estimate for North Carolina motorists (around 980,000 taking trips in excess of 50 miles) hold true, the Carolinas are set to have the heaviest Memorial Day weekend traffic they’ve seen in nine years.

GM IGNITION SWITCH CAUSES 31 CRASHES & 13 DEATHS

Published on: May 13, 2014 | by Patrick E. Knie

In February GM issued a massive recall of more than 2.6 million cars on models where it was suspected that faulty ignition switches were automatically turning off and preventing airbags from deploying. GM has known of the problem for over a decade and failed to take action until after 13 deaths occurred. In 2005 a Maryland woman died when her 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt crashed into a tree after an ignition switch shut down her car’s electrical system and the airbags failed to deploy. In 2012, GM identified four crashes and four corresponding fatlities (all involving 2004 Saturn Ions) along with six other injuries from four other crashes attributable to the defect. Congress is now investigating the long delay and silence by GM regarding the defect. iF YOU OR A FAMILY MEMBER BELIEVE YOU HAVE SUFFERED INJURIES IN A GM PRODUCT DUE TO A FAULTY IGNITION SWITCH OR AIRBAG FAILURE, WE CAN HELP. CALL PATRICK E. KNIE LAW OFFICES FOR A FREE CONSULTATION AT 1-866-665-4995.

Mill workers settle lawsuits after chemical explosion

Published on: May 5, 2014 | by Patrick E. Knie

If you suffer a work-related injury or illness, then you have the right to appropriate medical treatment that should be covered by your employer’s workers’ compensation carrier. However, you could be entitled to additional compensation if the accident was caused by a third party’s negligence, such as with a dangerous or defective product.

With that in mind, readers in Spartanburg may recall a tragic work accident that occurred in 2012 at a York County paper mill. Three workers suffered burn injuries at the Resolute Forest Products facility when a valve failed and sprayed the men with sodium sulfide and sodium hydroxide — a solution otherwise known as “white liquor.”

Son sues nursing home after mother subjected to male dancer

Published on: April 22, 2014 | by Patrick E. Knie

A nursing home’s responsibility to provide appropriate care to residents goes beyond administering medications and protecting the residents from injuries. Nursing home abuse can take many forms, including verbal and psychological abuse.

Readers in South Carolina may have seen disturbing headlines about a woman’s experience at a nursing home in New York. According to reports, a male dancer was hired to perform in front of elderly residents, and now the family of an 86-year-old woman who suffers from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease is suing the facility.

Outpatient misdiagnoses more common than you might think

Published on: April 18, 2014 | by Patrick E. Knie

A group of researchers has finished a study that comes to an unsettling conclusion about outpatient medical care: misdiagnosis is widely underreported and surprisingly common.

Much is said about diagnostic errors in hospitals, that is, in facilities that provide inpatient care. However, there is a great dearth of information about misdiagnoses by small-practice doctors and clinics. Looking at three previous studies, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine found that one in 20 — or 12 million U.S. adults — are misdiagnosed at medical clinics and doctors’ offices each year.