Somerset County, NJ: A Bridgewater woman whose physician allegedly failed to diagnose a benign brain tumor received $2 million to settle her Somerset County NJ medical malpractice suit on August 1, 2016.
The plaintiff, now 49, claimed that her physician failed to diagnose a congenital brain tumor when she had a CT scan taken of her head in September 2012. Eight months later, the tumor was discovered when it had grown larger and caused a loss of eyesight, said her medical malpractice lawyer, Robert Adinolfi of Gill & Chamas in Woodbridge, NJ.
The suit claimed the tumor was visible on her CT scan, but the doctor did not diagnose it.
The plaintiff, formerly a nurse, had the CT scan after injuring her head at work, and the tumor was clearly visible in the middle of her brain, though the doctor said at a deposition that she did not recall whether she saw the tumor, according to Adinolfi.
The plaintiff later had surgery to remove the tumor but she lost all vision in her left eye and 70 percent in her right eye, and is unable to work. The suit claimed her loss of eyesight would not have been so severe if the doctor had made a timely diagnosis of the tumor.
The defense argued that an earlier discovery would not have helped to preserve the patient’s vision, he said.
The settlement was reached on June 6, 2016 at a settlement conference with Somerset County Assignment Judge Yolanda Ciccone.
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