Berkowitz and Hanna LLC recently learned that the widow of American Indian activist Russell Means, who died of cancer in 2012, has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit. The basis of her claim is a cancer misdiagnosis. The plaintiff alleges that the medical facility where Mr. Means went for treatment missed signs of his esophageal cancer when he first went there in 2011.
Mrs. Means claims she was told that her husband tested negative for cancer and that he may be suffering from an enlarged tonsil. This fact did not make sense to her, as her husband had had a tonsillectomy as a child. Doctors offered no other explanation for the man’s difficulty swallowing and spitting up blood. Further tests were conducted, but by the time the Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe finally identified the real problem, the cancer had metastasized throughout Means’ body. He died at the age of 72.
Berkowitz and Hanna LLC is aware that a timely cancer diagnosis can mean the difference between life and death. Cancer misdiagnosis is all too common. In this case, if a mistake was indeed made, and it led to the death of Russell Means, his widow would be entitled to recover damages.
Berkowitz and Hanna LLC did not represent any of the parties in this case.
Image by via Russellmeansfreedom.com
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