Kentucky Coal Miner Awarded $4.6M For Doctor’s Medical Malpractice

A Pike County Kentucky jury recently awarded a Hatfield coal miner $4.6 million in a medical malpractice lawsuit. The man suffered severe and permanent personal injuries after a botched operation and subsequent treatment.

Kentucky Medical Malpractice

This Kentucky medical malpractice lawsuit involves a coal miner who had an operation in 2007. According to the Williamson Daily News, Buddy Hackney went to urologist, Dr. Mark Swofford, who performed an operation and provided subsequent treatment. Although the details are not known, Swofford apparently committed medical malpractice which left Hackney with permanent injuries. He filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the doctor and a jury awarded him nearly $4 million and another $750,000 to his wife Geneva.

Kentucky Medical Malpractice Statute of Limitations

Medical malpractice happens every day in Kentucky, but the state’s statute of limitations – or the time in which you must file a lawsuit – is only one year of the date that the act giving rise to the injury occurred or within five years if not discovered until later. So, if you know that a medical provider such as a doctor, nurse, surgeon – or any medical personnel whose position requires a license – may have been responsible for your injuries, it’s prudent to contact an experienced medical malpractice lawyer in your state as soon as possible. These Kentucky residents did just that and received the following damage awards:

• $9.8 million: A Kentucky hairdresser from Fayette County was awarded $9.89 million when she was left paralyzed and brain damaged after undergoing heart surgery.
• $3.8 million: A Louisville jury awarded a woman $3.8 million after a plastic surgeon who was not authorized to do surgery botched an operation which left her permanently disabled.

Common Types of Medical Malpractice

Personal injury attorneys say that common medical malpractice claims involve surgical errors, medication errors, medical negligence, wrong diagnosis, failure to diagnose, emergency room errors and many others. These can happen in hospitals, clinics, medical centers, doctor’s offices, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, pharmacies, outpatient centers and even in someone’s own home.

If you believe that you may have been injured to medical malpractice, contact an experienced medical malpractice lawyer to discuss your situation, evaluate your options and make sure that you receive the compensation for which you may be entitled.

The foregoing article has been prepared by an attorney who is a regular contributor to FreeAdvice, and is now undergoing review by the site’s editorial staff.