Woman claims doctors responsible for husband's death from cancer

If a person in Pennsylvania is diagnosed with cancer, it is often necessary to begin treatments immediately in order to save the life of the person. If a physician or other medical professional fails to diagnose the correct condition in a timely manner, delayed treatment can lead to the spread of the disease. In the worst situations, the patient may die from the failure to diagnose cancer by the doctor, and the family of the patient may choose to hold the medical professionals accountable.

A wife is seeking money for medical expenses, future care, and emotional distress from doctors who she feels failed to meet the standard of care required by law for her husband, according to documents from the woman’s attorney. Originally diagnosed with Hepatitis and cirrhosis, the woman’s husband eventually died from liver cancer.

The woman’s attorneys claim that her husband’s death could have been avoided if doctors had make the correct diagnosis, and are seeking compensation for bills that accumulated while the man was in the hospital and not able to work before he died. Although doctors did eventually diagnose the man with liver cancer, the disease was too far advanced to be successfully treated at that time.

When a family member dies from a long-term illness, those left behind may be forced to deal with extremely high medical bills as they face the grief of losing an important person. If the death is a result of the negligence of a doctor or medical professional, the family may benefit from consulting an attorney to decide if they may be awarded money to help cover current and future expenses that result from the death.

Source: Courthouse News Service, “Kaiser accused of failing to diagnose liver cancer,” Tish Kraft, May 1, 2013