Parkland fined 1 million dollars.

The state of Texas has fined Parkland Memorial $1 million for patient-safety failures. The fine covers a period from January 2011 and May 2012. It has been reported that this is the largest hospital fine in Texas history. The fine covered a failed knee replacement that resulted in the amputation of Jessie Mae’s leg and the death of George Cornell. There is a question of whether the person who signed the agreement for Parkland had authority to do so according to DallasNews.com. The complete agreement can be found at  http://www.scribd.com/doc/104551028/DSHS-Parkland-Agreement.

Thanks to our Republican Texas Tort Reform Act Parkland may not have had any liability to the injured parties. It is difficult, if not impossible, to sue a governmental unit even for the most egregious acts of negligence. Of course, if any of the individuals involved think they may have a case, they should have it reviewed by an experience malpractice attorney. This should be done  two years from the date of injury if possible. These statements should not to be considered as legal advice or to create any contract of representation between any person and the writer.