AL Jury Awards $20 Million For Medical Wrongful Death

After a nine day trial and one hour and 20 minutes of deliberation, an Alabama jury found anesthesiologist Dr. Randall Boudreaux and nurse Don Ortego liable for the death of Paulett Pettaway Hall who choked on her own bile.

In 2006, Paulett, who was a 32 year old and mother of two, went to Springhill Memorial Hospital for exploratory gastrointestinal surgery. The jury found that the anesthesiologists failed to follow national standards that require them to perform certain evaluation before surgery to ensure the safety of the patients. In Paulett's case, Dr. Boudreaux used a routine induction despite the fact that she was a high risk for pulmonary aspiration due to a record of gastrointestinal problems, nausea, vomiting, weight problems, and had severe abdominal pain.

All of this was noted in her medical records, but Dr. Boudreaux and his nurse Ortego did not review Paulett's medical file nor did a physical examination before the surgery. Medical experts testified that if the medical staff reviewed the patient's file they would have been adware of Paulett's risks to a standard induction and should have done proper aspiration risk precautions.

The jury awarded Paulett's family with $20 million for their lost last December.

If you or someone you know was a victim of medical malpractice, contact the Alabama Personal Injury Attorneys of PDKH Law. For more than 20 years, they have been protecting the rights of victims throughout Alabama.