Type of Action: Wrongful Death/Premises Liability
Injuries Alleged: Death, Skull Fracture, Subdural Hematoma
Court: Fredericksburg Circuit Court
Tried Before: Mediation
Special Damages: 32,156.82-past medical bills
Verdict or Settlement: Settlement
Amount: $1,500,000.00
Attorney(s):Ward Marstiller, Howard Bullock
Summary: 66-year old patient at the Hospital was awaiting discharge. The housekeeper came into the room and mopped the floor with a wet mop during a daily clean. A few minutes later decedent slipped and fell on the wet floor while attempting to walk a very short distance from his bed to the bathroom in his patient room while holding an IV pole. As a result of decedent’s fall, his feet slipped out from underneath him and his head violently hit the floor, causing, among other injuries, a skull fracture and subdural hematoma, from which he never recovered. He was removed from life support the following day. Plaintiff’s counsel brought the action as primarily a premises liability case rather than solely a medical malpractice case.