Malpractice During a Routine Procedure:

Joan River’s Case Settles

The case that turned a public eye to Medical Malpractice, in the sudden death of Joan Rivers, was settled last week, according to her family’s attorney. Rivers died after she stopped breathing during a routine endoscopy, when she went into cardiac arrest and was placed into a medically-induced coma. The doctors involved, allegedly performed unauthorized medical procedures, and carelessly took photos of the comedian while in surgery. Furthermore, when Rivers’ vital signs began deteriorating, her doctors allegedly failed to step in and take the appropriate measures to save her life.

The lawsuit was filed by Rivers’ daughter, Melissa, who was distraught after deciding it was best to remove her mother from life support in August 2014. She released a statement this week to Entertainment Tonight after the settlement was reached and was adamant in pushing for “ensuring higher standards in out-patient surgical clinics.”

Another statement to ET, given by Rivers’ lawyers, assured that in “keeping with Melissa’s wishes, we will continue to work with the Rivers’ family to ensure that appropriate safeguards and higher safety standards are put into effect in all ambulatory surgery centers.”

As a medical malpractice law firm, we applaud these goals and hope that medical facilities take note.

Joan River’s death lead to a lot of outrage and discussion about facilities of the type where she died.

What Can We Learn from Joan Rivers’ Death?

Unfortunately, medical malpractice and negligence committed by doctors in the United States results in approximately 210,00 to 444,000 deaths each year. Malpractice injuries that do not result in death can physically impair someone for the rest of their life, resulting in a low quality of life and inability to work. The unfortunate death of Joan Rivers at the hand of her doctors’ negligence has brought light to this prevalent issue.

If you believe that you or a loved one has been a victim of medical malpractice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey or New York, please contact us at Lowenthal & Abrams for a free consultation. We handle major claims and have won substantial verdicts and settlements for our clients.