Case Recoveries.

Millions of dollars recovered on behalf of catastrophically injured persons.

CEREBRAL PALSY CAUSED BY DELAYED C-SECTION OR LACK OF OXYGEN AT BIRTH

Few experiences in life are as profound as the birth of a child. Families trust hospitals and obstetric providers to carefully monitor both mother and baby during labor. When complications arise, rapid intervention is critical — especially when a fetus is not receiving enough oxygen.

Continuous fetal heart rate monitoring is designed to detect signs of fetal distress. Abnormal heart rate patterns can signal that a baby is experiencing oxygen deprivation (hypoxia). When those warning signs are missed — or when there is a delay in performing an emergency cesarean section — the result can be permanent brain injury.

One of the most devastating outcomes of oxygen deprivation at birth is cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy may develop when a baby suffers hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) during labor and delivery. In many cases, timely recognition of fetal distress and prompt delivery could prevent that injury.

This case involved a failure to appropriately monitor fetal heart rate and a delay in performing a cesarean section despite signs of fetal compromise. As a result, the child suffered a preventable brain injury. A multi-million dollar recovery was obtained.

If your child has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, HIE, or a birth-related brain injury and you suspect there was a delay in delivery or failure to respond to fetal distress, you may have a medical malpractice claim. Reach out to begin the conversation.

FAILURE TO DIAGNOSE AN INTESTINAL BLOCKAGE -- STRANGULATED HERNIA

An abdominal hernia occurs when a portion of an internal organ—most commonly the intestine—pushes through a weakness in the abdominal wall. While hernias are common, they require careful evaluation and monitoring because they can become incarcerated or strangulated, cutting off blood supply to the bowel. When this occurs, it is a surgical emergency. Delays in diagnosis or treatment can lead to bowel obstruction, ischemia, infection, sepsis, and permanent injury.

This case involved the failure to timely diagnose and treat a strangulated hernia causing an intestinal blockage. As the blood supply to the bowel was compromised, the tissue became gangrenous and required surgical resection. During the procedure, a foreign object was left inside the patient’s abdomen, necessitating an additional open abdominal surgery that would otherwise have been unnecessary. A seven-figure recovery was obtained.

As both a registered nurse and attorney, Terry DeAngelo evaluates these cases with an understanding of how bowel obstruction, surgical complications, and postoperative warning signs should be recognized and treated in real clinical settings.

If you or a loved one experienced a delayed diagnosis of bowel obstruction, strangulated hernia, surgical error, retained foreign object, or complications requiring additional abdominal surgery, you may have a medical malpractice claim. Reach out to begin the conversation.

FAILURE TO DIAGNOSE SPINAL CORD INJURY, LESIONS, OR VASCULAR CONDITIONS

Serious spinal cord conditions — including spinal abscesses, spinal arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), spinal cord infarctions, tumors, and other compressive lesions — require urgent diagnosis and treatment to prevent permanent neurological damage. When warning signs such as progressive leg weakness, difficulty walking, numbness, severe back pain with neurological symptoms, or loss of bowel or bladder control are not fully evaluated, irreversible spinal cord injury can occur.

Early MRI imaging and specialist referral are often critical. Delays in ordering spinal imaging or dismissing progressive neurological complaints can allow a treatable condition to permanently damage the spinal cord.

This case involved a multi-year failure to diagnose a serious spinal vascular malformation despite ongoing neurological symptoms. Appropriate imaging and escalation were not timely pursued. As the untreated condition progressed, it caused permanent spinal cord injury and life-altering neurological impairment. The case proceeded to trial, and a Philadelphia jury returned a verdict of $19.7 million after determining that the delay in diagnosis caused preventable harm.

As both a registered nurse and attorney, Terry DeAngelo evaluates spinal injury cases with an understanding of how progressive neurological symptoms should trigger imaging, referral, and escalation in real clinical settings.

If you or a loved one experienced delayed diagnosis of a spinal abscess, spinal AVM, spinal cord infarction, tumor, or other spinal lesion — or if worsening back pain and neurological symptoms were not properly worked up — you may have a medical malpractice claim. Reach out to begin the conversation.

DELAYED STROKE DIAGNOSIS AND FAILURE TO TRANSFER – WRONGFUL DEATH

In stroke care, time is brain. Rapid diagnosis, continuous neurological monitoring, and immediate intervention are critical to survival. Hospitals are expected to follow established stroke protocols, perform timely CT or MRI imaging, conduct regular neuro checks, and transfer patients when advanced stroke treatment is required.

This case involved a patient who presented with symptoms concerning for acute ischemic stroke but did not receive timely escalation of care. Critical safeguards broke down - neurological monitoring was inadequate, advanced imaging was delayed, and transfer for higher-level stroke intervention was not initiated despite clinical warning signs. As his condition deteriorated, opportunities for life-saving treatment were lost.

The stroke progressed, leading to catastrophic brain injury and ultimately death. A $4.5 million recovery was obtained on behalf of his surviving wife and adult children, holding those responsible accountable and providing financial security in the wake of their loss.

As both a registered nurse and attorney, Terry DeAngelo evaluates stroke cases with an understanding of how neurological decline, imaging delays, and breakdowns in hospital stroke protocol can alter outcomes in real clinical settings.

If you lost a loved one due to a delayed stroke diagnosis, failure to transfer to a comprehensive stroke center, failure to perform appropriate neuro checks, or breakdowns in hospital stroke procedures, you may have a wrongful death medical malpractice claim. Reach out to begin the conversation.

FAILURE TO MONITOR A SUICIDAL PATIENT IN A PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL

Patients who seek emergency mental health treatment are among the most vulnerable in medicine. Psychiatric hospitals have a duty to perform thorough suicide risk assessments, closely monitor patients in crisis, and maintain a ligature-resistant environment designed to prevent self-harm. This duty is especially critical for individuals experiencing a first-time psychiatric crisis, where rapid evaluation, continuous observation, and stabilization can prevent irreversible tragedy.

Warning Signs That Require Immediate Suicide Risk Intervention:

First episode psychosis
Worsening paranoia, delusions, or withdrawal
Passive or active suicidal ideation
Significant deviation from psychiatric baseline
Isolation while admitted to a locked psychiatric unit

This case involved the failure to provide appropriate emergency psychiatric treatment and suicide prevention. Despite documented warning signs and psychiatric deterioration, the patient did not receive adequate suicide risk assessment, 1:1 monitoring, or proper supervision. Required observation protocols were not properly implemented, and the environment was not adequately secured against self-harm hazards. The patient suffered catastrophic anoxic brain injury following an asphyxiation event and later died. A seven-figure recovery was obtained for the benefit of his surviving child.

As both a registered nurse and attorney, Terry DeAngelo evaluates psychiatric negligence cases with an understanding of how suicide risk, inpatient monitoring standards, and behavioral health protocols must be implemented in real clinical settings.

If your loved one was harmed due to failure to monitor a suicidal patient, inadequate psychiatric evaluation, lack of 1:1 observation, or unsafe conditions in a mental health facility, you may have a wrongful death or medical malpractice claim. Reach out to begin the conversation.

MISDIAGNOSED OR DELAYED BREAST CANCER DIAGNOSIS

Behind heart disease, cancer remains one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Breast cancer is often highly treatable when detected early. Timely imaging, biopsy, and pathology interpretation are critical. When cancer is missed or diagnosis is delayed, the disease can progress, spread, and become far more difficult or impossible to treat.

Accurate pathology interpretation is the foundation of cancer diagnosis. When biopsy slides are misread, patients may lose the opportunity for life-saving early treatment.

This case involved a multi-year delay in diagnosing breast cancer after a pathologist misread the patient’s initial biopsy slides. During that time, the cancer spread from the breast into the lymph nodes and eventually into multiple organs and bones. By the time the correct diagnosis was made, the disease had metastasized so extensively that curative treatment was no longer possible. The patient ultimately passed away. A multi-million dollar recovery was obtained for her surviving family.

As both a registered nurse and attorney, Terry DeAngelo evaluates delayed cancer diagnosis cases with an understanding of how biopsy findings, pathology interpretation, and follow-up care should occur in real clinical practice.

If you or a loved one experienced a delayed breast cancer diagnosis, misread biopsy, pathology error, or failure to investigate suspicious findings, you may have a medical malpractice or wrongful death claim. Reach out to begin the conversation.

INFANT SLEEPER RECALLS AND WRONGFUL DEATH FROM DANGEROUS BABY PRODUCTS

Bringing a newborn into the world is one of life’s most meaningful experiences. Parents trust that baby products sold in stores are safe for use. Unfortunately, defective and dangerous infant products — including inclined sleepers — have been linked to infant suffocation and death.

In recent years, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued recalls involving inclined infant sleepers due to the risk of positional asphyxia and airway obstruction. These products can place infants in an unsafe chin-to-chest position or allow rolling that increases the risk of suffocation. Safe sleep guidelines emphasize that infants should be placed on their backs on a firm, flat surface without soft bedding or incline.

This case involved the tragic death of an infant who suffocated in an inclined sleeper. The product’s design created a foreseeable risk of airway compromise and suffocation. A multi-million dollar recovery was obtained for the grieving family.

If your family has been affected by a recalled infant sleeper, defective baby product, or unsafe sleep device, you may have a product liability or wrongful death claim. For the latest recall information, visit the CPSC website at www.cpsc.gov. If your child was harmed by a dangerous infant product, reach out to begin the conversation.

18 MILLION DOLLAR RECOVERY -- MISDIAGNOSED MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS AND DELAYED DIAGNOSIS OF CNS LYMPHOMA

Being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) is life-changing. Patients trust neurologists to carefully evaluate symptoms, MRI findings, spinal fluid studies, and disease progression before confirming a diagnosis of MS. However, multiple sclerosis can be misdiagnosed — particularly when more serious conditions such as brain tumors or Primary B-Cell Central Nervous System (CNS) Lymphoma are not properly ruled out.

Primary CNS lymphoma is an aggressive cancer that can closely mimic MS on MRI imaging and clinical presentation. Unlike MS, lymphoma requires urgent oncologic treatment. When physicians fail to recognize warning signs, misinterpret imaging, or fail to reconsider the diagnosis after treatment does not work, patients may be exposed to powerful immunosuppressive MS medications while the underlying cancer continues to grow.

Warning Signs That MS May Be Misdiagnosed

Rapid neurological decline
Worsening weakness despite MS therapy
New enhancing lesions inconsistent with typical MS patterns
Lack of improvement with disease-modifying medications
Atypical MRI findings

This case involved a young woman who was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis for more than two years when she was actually suffering from Primary B-Cell CNS Lymphoma. Despite progressive neurological deterioration and lack of response to treatment, the diagnosis was not meaningfully reevaluated. The delay allowed the cancer to spread within the central nervous system, culminating in spastic quadriplegia. An $18 million settlement was obtained, providing lifelong care and improving the client’s quality of life.

As both a registered nurse and attorney, Terry DeAngelo evaluates complex neurological misdiagnosis cases with an understanding of how imaging findings, treatment response, and clinical progression should be interpreted in real medical practice.

If you or a loved one has been misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis, experienced worsening symptoms despite MS treatment, or later learned the condition was actually lymphoma or another neurological disease, you may have a medical malpractice claim. Contact us to discuss your situation.

$2.375 MILLION RECOVERY — SURGICAL ERROR / CARDIAC SURGERY MALPRACTICE

Surgery is never risk-free, but patients and families are entitled to answers when a routine recovery turns into catastrophic injury or death. In complex operations, the surgical team must properly protect the patient’s heart, lungs, brain, and other vital organs, carefully monitor changes during the procedure, and respond quickly when the patient shows signs of deterioration.

Cardiac surgery malpractice cases are especially complex because they often involve surgeons, anesthesiologists, perfusionists, ICU providers, nurses, and hospital systems working together. When communication breaks down, when an intraoperative injury is missed, or when a patient’s postoperative collapse is treated as an unavoidable complication, the full medical record must be carefully reconstructed.

This case involved a 42-year-old man who underwent complex open-heart surgery. Before surgery, he was working, living independently, and had preserved heart function. Following the procedure, he developed new and severe cardiac dysfunction, cardiogenic shock, respiratory failure, kidney failure requiring continuous renal replacement therapy, infection, bleeding, and multi-system organ failure. He required advanced life support, including ECMO and Impella support, and ultimately passed away after a prolonged hospitalization.

The case focused on whether the patient suffered preventable intraoperative cardiac injury and whether the surgical and hospital teams properly recognized, communicated, and responded to his deterioration. A $2.375 million recovery was obtained for his surviving family.

As both a registered nurse and attorney, Terry DeAngelo evaluates surgical malpractice and cardiac surgery malpractice cases with an understanding of how operating room events, anesthesia records, ICU care, lab trends, cardiac function, and hospital communication should fit together in real clinical practice.

If you or a loved one suffered catastrophic injury or death after surgery, including cardiac surgery, anesthesia complications, organ failure, unexplained postoperative decline, or suspected hospital negligence, you may have a medical malpractice or wrongful death claim. Reach out to begin the conversation