There are many individuals in West Virginia and across the nation who rely on a medical device to assist in the treatment of a major health condition. Should such a device prove defective, there is a chance it could place the well-being of a patient at serious risk. A woman in another state was recently awarded a judgment of $34 million in a products liability lawsuit after a defective inferior vena cava filter caused her to suffer permanent damage.
The lawsuit reportedly stems from an incident in which the woman was scheduled to undergo an operation to install a removable IVC filter to help prevent blood clots from traveling to her lungs. According to reports, she returned to a medical facility nearly six years later to have the device removed. However, after an operation that lasted nearly three hours, doctors were forced to deem the device impossible to remove.
The woman asserts that the incident has caused her to suffer permanent damage and has opened her up to a variety of potential health risks. The lawsuit states that these issues were caused by defects in the design of the device. After filing a claim against the manufacturer of the filter, the woman was reportedly awarded a substantial monetary judgment recent legal proceedings.
In the presence of a defective design, a device that is intended to help treat a person’s condition may only make matters worse. Those who suffer severe or permanent harm under similar circumstances may wish to better understand their available options for legal recourse, but they might be uncertain where to turn for advice. Fortunately, there are attorneys who can evaluate the situation and assist a person in West Virginia in pursuing the full amount of restitution entitled through a products liability claim.
