HCA Westside Regional Medical Center Malpractice Lawyers
Written and edited by our team of expert legal content writers and reviewed and approved by Daniel Harwin
- Content last updated on:
- November 12, 2024
Table of Contents
- Filing a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Against HCA Westside Regional Medical Center
- Case Study: FHVG Pursues Justice for Man Who Experienced Medical Malpractice at HCA Westside Regional
- History of HCA Westside Regional Medical Center Legal Trouble
- How To Prove Medical Malpractice At A Hospital
- When Should I Contact an Attorney?
- Contact Our Florida Medical Malpractice Lawyers
Westside Regional Medical Center is a 250-bed Broward County teaching and research hospital located at 8201 West Broward Boulevard in Plantation. It offers comprehensive care, including the following:
- Minimally invasive spine surgery
- Minimally invasive colorectal surgery
- General surgical services
- Diagnostic services
- Medical care
- Oncology
- Cardiology
- Orthopedic care
- Emergency care
The facility advertises that it focuses on adopting the latest technology and offers a multidisciplinary, patient-centered approach to care.
Hospital Corporation of America, known as HCA, owns Westside Regional Medical Center. HCA is the largest for-profit hospital operator in the country, with over $12.6 billion in profits in 2021 and 2022, according to the watchdog group HCACareCrisis. Caregivers in HCA facilities, including Westside Regional, have long alleged that HCA prioritizes profits over patients, citing critically low staffing levels.
Understaffing is a significant contributor to medical errors and has been a key complaint in the over 240 medical malpractice lawsuits filed against Westside Regional Medical Center since 1992, including 84 cases involving patient deaths.
Our experienced Florida medical malpractice lawyers are dedicated to taking on large health care corporations like HCA to pursue just and fair compensation for our clients.
Filing a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Against HCA Westside Regional Medical Center
Licensed health care providers, including hospitals, have a legal duty to provide a reasonable standard of care. When you are injured because a health care provider or employee at Westside Hospital breaches the duty of care, you may have grounds to sue Westside Regional Medical Center.
While HCA Westside Regional Medical Center has a somewhat positive four-star review rating on Google, negative reviews consistently mention a marked decline in the quality of care for patients who transitioned from the emergency room to regular rooms. Reviewers cited poor communication, rude staff, and delays in receiving medical tests and medication.
Of the 241 HCA Westside lawsuits since 1992, 112 were for fatal or permanent injuries classified as significant, major, or grave. Such injuries include the following:
- Hearing loss
- Loss of an eye
- Blindness
- Loss of two limbs
- Quadriplegia
- Brain damage
- Loss of a lung or kidney
- The need for lifelong care
- Death
Of the 112 serious injury and death claims, 85 resulted in compensation for the victims.
At Freedland Harwin Valori Gander, we have won over $2.6 billion in compensation for injured patients. If you or your loved one has been harmed by medical malpractice at Westside Hospital, call us today at (954) 467-6400 to schedule a free consultation.
Case Study: FHVG Pursues Justice for Man Who Experienced Medical Malpractice at HCA Westside Regional
Our client was a 24-year-old man who arrived at Westside Regional Medical Center complaining of chest pain and shortness of breath. They placed an internal defibrillator to address issues with his heart. Over the next few weeks, he made frequent visits to the hospital, asking for help with the pain related to the device. He kept telling the doctors that it felt like something was “digging through my heart.”
Ultimately, when he was rushed back to the emergency room, they realized the device had been improperly installed. The lead to the device was detached, causing a severe and permanent injury to both his lung and heart.
Despite our client presenting to the hospital numerous times and conveying his symptoms, health care providers did not adequately identify the issue and take appropriate steps to safeguard our client’s well-being. The result was a severe and permanent injury they could have prevented with appropriate measures. This underscores the urgent need for hospitals to prioritize adherence to protocols and effective communication to prevent such tragedies.
Track Record of Success
JURY VERDICT
$24.5 Million
We obtained this damages jury verdict for the family of a 34-year-old woman who bled to death during childbirth. With the assistance of top experts, we demonstrated that doctors did not follow proper safety protocols, forcing the defendants to admit liability shortly before trial.
ARBITRATION AWARD
$15.2 Million
We won this arbitration award for a woman who suffered a stroke following childbirth and remains in a minimally conscious state.
SETTLEMENT
$10 Million
We obtained this settlement on behalf of a child who suffered a brain injury from oxygen deprivation during birth. Through years of tactical and technical litigation, we were able to prove that the nurses and physicians both failed to intervene and prevent the brain injury.
SETTLEMENT
$4.1 Million
We negotiated this wrongful death settlement for the family of a mother who had a hypertensive crisis after birth that went without appropriate treatment, leading to her death.
JURY VERDICT
$24.5 Million
We obtained this damages jury verdict for the family of a 34-year-old woman who bled to death during childbirth. With the assistance of top experts, we demonstrated that doctors did not follow proper safety protocols, forcing the defendants to admit liability shortly before trial.
ARBITRATION AWARD
$15.2 Million
We won this arbitration award for a woman who suffered a stroke following childbirth and remains in a minimally conscious state.
SETTLEMENT
$10 Million
We obtained this settlement on behalf of a child who suffered a brain injury from oxygen deprivation during birth. Through years of tactical and technical litigation, we were able to prove that the nurses and physicians both failed to intervene and prevent the brain injury.
SETTLEMENT
$4.1 Million
We negotiated this wrongful death settlement for the family of a mother who had a hypertensive crisis after birth that went without appropriate treatment, leading to her death.
free consultation anytime, anywhere.
ALL FIELDS REQUIRED
RELATED PAGES
- BIRTH INJURY
- ER NEGLIGENCE
- FAILURE OR DELAY IN DIAGNOSIS OF SEPSIS
- FAILURE TO DIAGNOSE BREAST CANCER
- FAILURE TO DIAGNOSE HEART ATTACK
- FAILURE TO DIAGNOSE OR TREAT AORTIC DISSECTION
- FAILURE TO DIAGNOSE PULMONARY EMBOLISM
- FAILURE TO TREAT STROKE
- HOSPITAL MALPRACTICE
- INTRAVENOUS INFILTRATION
- MEDICATION ERRORS
- MEDICATION OVERDOSE
- MISDIAGNOSIS MALPRACTICE
- OB/GYN MALPRACTICE
- PEDIATRIC MALPRACTICE
- PLASTIC SURGERY ERRORS
- PREOPERATIVE CLEARANCE ERROR
- RADIOLOGY ERRORS
- SPINE SURGERY MISTAKES
- SURGICAL ERROR
- VETTING A DOCTOR BEFORE SURGERY
- WRONGFUL DEATH
CASE RESULTS
TESTIMONIALS
999 Ponce De Leon Blvd
Suite 1030
Coral Gables, FL 33134
History of HCA Westside Regional Medical Center Legal Trouble
Public records show insurers have paid 173 medical malpractice claims against HCA Westside since 1992. While all these claims involved medical malpractice, Westside’s legal problems are not limited to medical malpractice claims only. The timeline below describes the most serious legal claims against HCA Westside Regional Medical Center.
June 5, 2024
A 45-year-old hospital employee, Emerson Jean, was arrested for sexually assaulting patients at Westside Hospital, including a 70-year-old patient, CBS News reported.
May 25, 2023
Members of Florida’s largest health care workers’ labor union filed an Unfair Labor Practice complaint against Florida HCA hospitals, alleging severe understaffing at facilities throughout the state, including Westside.
June 9, 2020
Westside reached a $7 million settlement with a patient who suffered cardiac arrest and permanent brain damage from oxygen deprivation after he was admitted to the hospital through the ER with abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting.
November 19, 2019
Westside and other defendants settled a case for over $2.9 million with a patient who suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage with resulting permanent left-sided weakness caused by surgical errors during elective surgery for a benign brain tumor.
July 15, 2019
Westside and other defendants settled a case for $1.85 million with a patient whose right leg had to be amputated after he developed compartment syndrome from alleged hospital mismanagement of motorcycle accident injuries.
April 10, 2019
Westside settled a wrongful death case for over $1 million with the family of a patient who died after doctors failed to diagnose and treat a pulmonary embolism stemming from deep vein thrombosis.
November 26, 2018
Westside agreed to pay $2 million for the wrongful death of a patient who died because of the failure to diagnose a pulmonary embolism. The patient had presented to the ER with a heart attack.
October 31, 2018
Westside agreed to pay over $3.7 million to settle a wrongful death claim involving a patient who died from a cerebral stroke. The patient had presented to the hospital with dizziness and nausea after a fainting episode. After receiving a CT scan, Westside admitted the patient for observation and neuro checks without diagnosing and treating the stroke.
February 2018
HCA Westside settled nurse Julie Griffin’s whistleblower case against the facility over understaffing allegations just days before the trial was scheduled to begin.
August 10, 2017
Nurse Julie Griffin filed a Florida Whistleblower Act lawsuit against Westside Regional Medical Center over her alleged wrongful termination for attempting to protect cardiac ICU patients.
May 24, 2017
Nurse Julie Griffin was placed on administrative leave for refusing to take on a third patient in HCA Westside’s Cardiac ICU. She said it was impossible to continuously monitor three patients as required by their treatment plans. Two weeks later, HCA terminated her.
October 10, 2016
HCA Westside agreed to a $15.25 million settlement against it and a physician for mismanagement of a heart attack that allegedly led to a permanent brain injury.
December 10, 2015
Westside settled a medical malpractice claim for over $5.3 million in a case alleging the facility delayed treating gallstone pancreatitis, resulting in permanent injuries from catastrophic blood loss, multi-system organ failure, and death of pancreatic tissue.
How To Prove Medical Malpractice At A Hospital
To prove a medical malpractice case against a hospital, you will need your medical records, expert medical witness testimony, and eyewitness testimony, if available. This proof will be necessary to establish that the health care provider made an error. You will also need documentation verifying the extent of your injuries and their short- and long-term effects on your finances.
Such evidence may include medical bills, pay stubs, and testimony by vocational specialists, life care planners, and financial experts who can project your future lost earnings. To succeed, you will need to establish the following elements of negligence:
- HCA Westside Regional Medical Center owed you a duty of care.
- The hospital breached that duty because an employee failed to provide a reasonable standard of care, hospital equipment malfunctioned, or other systemic errors occurred.
- You experienced a negative health outcome that would not have occurred had you received the appropriate care.
- The breach of duty is the actual and proximate cause of your injury.
When Should I Contact an Attorney?
It is important to contact an attorney as soon as possible after becoming aware of your injury. Florida’s medical malpractice statute of limitations gives you only two years after the incident or when you discover the injury to file suit. Regardless of when you discover the injury, you must file your claim no later than four years after the incident.
If you miss the filing deadline, a court will likely dismiss your case, and you will lose the opportunity to recover the compensation you deserve. Once you contact our knowledgeable medical malpractice attorneys, we will need time to retrieve your medical records, consult experts, and build a strong case before filing. The earlier you contact us, the more likely we’ll have access to all the necessary evidence and sufficient time to build the strongest case possible.
The statute of limitations is a complex law with many exceptions. Contact us now to protect your claim.
Contact Our Florida Medical Malpractice Lawyers
With over $2.6 billion in compensation recovered, we have the experience, resources, and fortitude to take on big corporations on your behalf. Many of our accomplished hospital medical malpractice attorneys in Florida also have experience on the other side of the aisle, defending medical providers and their insurance companies. This background gives us a unique perspective when fighting for clients.
We care about every client. When you have FHVG Legal on your side, you will receive personalized attention and a team of professionals dedicated to ensuring accessible communication. We charge no upfront fees for our services, and you only pay us if we win. Contact us online or call (954) 467-6400 today to start your Westside Regional Medical Center malpractice lawsuit with a free case review.
