Wrongful Death: Federal Gov’t Sued in Plague Death Case

Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Last month, the family of a New Mexico woman filed a lawsuit against the federal government for medical negligence and wrongful death. Their loved one was misdiagnosed with gastroenteritis in 2015 at a facility operated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

According to the complaint, “Had decedent Michele Fowner been properly tested and diagnosed on July 20, 2015…she would have received appropriate treatment and would have survived.”

When Fowner visited the First Choice Community Healthcare medical facility in Edgewood, New Mexico, she suffered from sepsis and blood poisoning related to a rare form of plague – yersinia pestis septicemia.  However, physician’s assistants did not order the routine blood tests which would have revealed the true nature of Fowner’s infection.  

She died two days later.

Medical errors are now the third leading cause of death in the United States, according to research released earlier this year by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

From a local hospital to the federal government, no party is too big or small to be held accountable by the experienced medical malpractice attorneys at Pribanic & Pribanic. We’ve served the Pittsburgh area and families nationwide for over 20 years. Our founder, Victor Pribanic, has been named by his peers as “Lawyer of the Year” in medical malpractice for several years.

If you or a loved one has suffered unnecessary pain, injury, or suffering due to improper medical care, call Pribanic & Pribanic for a free consultation at 1-800-392-4529.

Our medically-trained staff is here to help.