Botched Brain Surgery Leads to Medical Malpractice Lawsuit

Oakwood Hospital and two of its doctors have been named as defendants in a medical malpractice lawsuit.

The lawsuit was filed by the family of Deborah Blankenship, who died from brain damage after a surgeon operated on the wrong side of her brain. Blankenship was 49 years old.

On August 7, 2007 Blankenship came to the hospital’s emergency room complaining of an acute headache. She was initially treated by Dr. Hasnain Haider-Shah, who determined that Blankenship was suffering from a severe artery leak in her brain. Despite being able to locate the source of the leak, he was unable to block the bleeding using a catheter.

Blankenship was then scheduled for surgery with Dr. Robert R. Johnson to undergo an emergency craniotomy. According to the lawsuit, Johnson cut into the right side of Blankenship’s skull, but had to stop and call Haider-Shah to determine which side of Blankenship’s brain the aneurysm was on. Due to the delay in surgery, Blankenship suffered severe brain damage, and 16 months after undergoing the surgery she passed away.

Blankenship’s family is seeking an undisclosed amount in damages.

If your loved one has passed away due to some form of medical malpractice, you should consider speaking with an attorney about your rights to benefits under Michigan  wrongful death laws. An experienced Detroit medical malpractice attorney at Freedman & Freedman is available to meet with you during a free consultation to review your case and discuss your legal options.

To arrange a consultation, contact the Law Offices of Freedman & Freedman today at (888) 252-8582!