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The Berkowitz Law Firm LLC Reports: Samari Rolle Awarded Damages In Medical Malpractice Case

Written by Berkowitz

Berkowitz and Hanna LLC always has its eye on medical malpractice suits and this one was particularly interesting. The suit involved a well-known pro football player, Samari Rolle, a former NFL player, and his post-operative care where he was awarded $650,000 in a medical malpractice lawsuit against OrthoCarolina. The plaintiff, who once played for the Baltimore Ravens, claimed that his surgeon did not perform proper follow-up care after spinal fusion surgery which led to complications and an early retirement from the NFL.

In September 2008, when OrthoCarolina surgeon Dr. Craig Brigham performed surgery to fuse Rolle’s C3 and C4 vertebra, the surgery was successful, but the physician allegedly allowed Rolle to return to playing football too soon. The fusion failed, and Rolle had to undergo another operation. This, Rolle claimed, amounted to medical malpractice.

Dr. Brigham died a few hours before the trial was set to start, so a mistrial was declared and a new lawsuit was filed against OrthoCarolina. In this second law suit, the jury decided that without the medical malpractice, Rolle would have played football for another year, and so he was awarded damages of $650,000.

Medical malpractice is a serious issue.  Berkowitz and Hanna LLC knows that tenpercent of all hospital patients are harmed by medical mistakes. A study in the Journal of Patient Safety reports that between 210,000 and 440,000 patients suffer preventable harm in hospitals, contributing to their death which is why the medical malpractice attorneys of Berkowitz and Hanna LLC are tireless advocates for injured patients and their families.

Note: Berkowitz and Hanna LLC did not represent any of the parties in this case.

Image by Keith Allison via Flickr.com

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