Undiagnosed Brain Tumor Leads to Death of 13-Year-Old Girl
March 29, 2017
A 13-year-old girl, in this wrongful death case, first went to a doctor in February 2016 complaining of bad headaches. She was diagnosed with migraines and was sent home.
During the first visit at the doctor, the girl was told to return if she kept having headaches or if she started to throw up. Two months later the girl went back to the doctor’s office on at least two separate occasions complaining of ongoing headaches, a numb tongue and vomiting. She was given a prescription for migraines.
In May 2016, while the girl was at the emergency room she stopped breathing twice and became unresponsive. At no point did the medical staff order a CT scan and instead suggested her non-responsiveness was behavioral in origin and that she may be faking her symptoms. Hours later the 13-year-old’s pupils became different sizes prompting a CT scan that revealed a massive tumor that had caused fluid to build up in the brain. The resulting pressure destroyed all neurological functions. Despite surgery, she was declared brain dead and her parents removed her from life support.
Her parents filed a medical negligence wrongful death lawsuit alleging that if the doctors had been more diligent in their diagnosis and treatment when her symptoms first manifested, their daughter may still be alive. According to the documents filed in this case, the numb tongue, nausea, severe migraines and vision problems were classic signals of a pediatric brain tumor.
Even though the parents in this case decided to file a lawsuit, they cannot wait to deal with pressing financial necessities, such as the medical bills from their daughter’s stay in hospital, the surgery, and paying for her funeral and burial expenses.
In their search for an attorney to handle their case, they may have run across information about litigation funding, an option that may be the perfect solution for them. Once the family has hired a lawyer and filed a claim, they become eligible for a “lawsuit loan”, also referred to as pre-settlement funding.
A “lawsuit loan” helps the plaintiff to cope financially while waiting for a fair and equitable settlement or jury verdict. Obtaining pre-settlement funding means the plaintiff does not have to deal with insurance companies, urging them to settle for less than they may get in court.
