Yesterday, after a 15-day trial, a Pomona Superior Court jury awarded $12 million to a woman who suffered a traumatic brain injury after being shot with an airgun at a family member's home in El Monte on September 4, 2007. The woman, Jessica Ramirez, was conscious after being shot in the head and was able to walk into Greater El Monte Community Medical Center on her own.
After going to the hospital following the airgun incident, Ramirez remained at the El Monte hospital for five hours until she was flown to Huntington hospital in Pasadena and rushed into surgery. At the trial, the neurosurgeon that operated on the woman at Huntington Hospital testified that he was certain she would have had a better outcome if he had been able to operate sooner. Another medical expert testified that "earlier surgery would have allowed Jessica Ramirez to care for herself and live independently," the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reported.
The family of Jessica Ramirez, represented by a southern California medical malpractice attorney who is also a medical doctor, brought the suit against AHMC Healthcare, Inc., which owns Greater El Monte Community Hospital. According to the suit, the negligence of Greater El Monte Community Hospital allowed bleeding and pressure on Jessica Ramirez's brain to cause permanent damage. Because of the brain damage, she now is in a "minimally conscious" persistent vegetative state in a nursing home, and requires 24-hour care.
Hospital officials said in a written statement they would appeal the verdict.
Sources: Washington Post, San Gabriel Valley Tribune
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