Legal Briefs: Record Malpractice Award in Nebraska

Two days after a child was discharged from the hospital following an accidental fall at a daycare, the child experienced severe seizures and irreparable brain damage, which left her wheelchair-bound, blind, and unable to communicate. The hospital maintained it had done nothing wrong, had provided an appropriate standard of care, and tried to suggest that a parent or babysitter might have abused the child. However, there was no evidence to suggest anything other than the accidental fall.

Were the hospital and its physicians negligent?

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Ann W. Latner, JD, is a freelance writer and attorney based in New York. She was formerly the director of periodicals at the American Pharmacists Association and editor of Pharmacy Times.