Some Medical Professionals Perform Multiple Acts of Malpractice before Losing Their Licenses
In a perfect world, a medical professional who harmed a patient by committing malpractice would lose his or her license to practice medicine quickly, before anyone else was harmed. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Some medical professionals harm multiple patients well before they are removed from the profession. Dr. Andrew Hearn, a surgeon from North Carolina, is one of the professionals.
The first claim that was brought against Dr. Hearn alleges that he was negligent in performing an appendectomy in 2009, resulting in a recurrence of appendicitis which caused a woman to give birth to her daughter four months prematurely. As a result, the daughter is likely to experience developmental difficulties throughout her lifetime. The trial in this case began at the beginning of December 2014, and Hearn was found medically negligent by the jury.
The most recent malpractice claim against Dr. Hearn stems from a procedure that he performed on a patient in March of 2011. Dr. Hearn and another surgeon placed a self-expanding Silver stent in the veins of a patient, Delacy Miles. A few days later, when Ms. Miles continued to experience difficulties with dialysis, the doctors decided to insert a permanent dialysis catheter. During that second procedure, the stent broke and entered Ms. Miles’s heart. Emergency open heart surgery was required in order to remove the stent, but even then, all of the stent could not be removed. Ms. Miles now has an increased risk of cardiac arrhythmias and a reduced life expectancy.
Unfortunately, as the above demonstrates, many medical professionals who commit medical malpractice are not always removed from the practice of medicine as quickly as we might expect. Sometimes they step down from their positions voluntarily, but if they remain licensed there is still a danger that they could harm others if they secure a different position elsewhere. Dr. Hearn resigned from Alamance Regional Medical Center in January of 2013, after his practices came under scrutiny. As of the beginning of this month, however, he was still licensed to practice medicine in North Carolina and Ohio.
If you have suffered an injury due to medical malpractice, contact the experienced Tennessee medical malpractice attorneys at Bailey & Greer, PLLC as soon as possible. Medical malpractice actions are an important way to hold medical professionals accountable for their negligent actions, but they do take a bit of time. While your case is pending, it is possible that the medical professional who harmed you could still be working in the medical profession, creating a risk of harm to others. To learn more about how we can help you to pursue the results that you deserve, please call 901-680-9777 to schedule an appointment to speak to us.
Since graduating magna cum laude in 2005 from the University of Memphis School of Law, Thomas has helped make a difference in the lives of victims of serious personal injury, wrongful death, and professional negligence. Thomas has extensive trial experience in both state and federal court. Among other victories in the courtroom, Thomas obtained several impressive jury verdicts and settlements
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