In a remarkable case, an Ohio man recently filed suit against the Cincinnati hospital where his wife worked, arguing that it is responsible for her death in a car accident earlier this year. In his wrongful death lawsuit, the man claims the fatal accident was attributable to negligence on the part of the hospital. He has said that the hospital "worked her to death."
According to the man, chronic understaffing led the hospital to keep its nurses, including his late wife, working long hours with insufficient rest. His wife died when she crashed her car while driving home from a 12-hour shift at the hospital.
A wrongful death lawsuit is a specialized type of personal injury lawsuit. In a typical personal injury lawsuit, the injured party may be compensated for medical expenses and other damages if the injury was caused by the other party's negligence. In the case of a fatal injury, the family of the victim files a wrongful death claim against the negligent party. There are special rules for what kinds of damages can be compensated and special procedures for filing a wrongful death claim, but the questions of negligence and liability in these cases are essentially the same as they are in personal injury cases.
Most wrongful death cases in Ohio are much more straightforward than this lawsuit is likely to be. Still, every wrongful death case has its complexities and emotional issues. A qualified Ohio attorney with experience in wrongful death law can help grieving families understand how the law may apply to their unique case.
Source: CNN, "Lawsuit: Ohio nurse was 'worked to death'," Dominique Debucquoy-Dodley, Nov. 13, 2013
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