Indiana Medical Malpractice Lawyer Blog

The Indiana medical malpractice attorneys at Garau Germano Hanley & Pennington, P.C. recently received a $2.5 million verdict in a trial in Terre Haute, Indiana.

The medical malpractice verdict was reached by the jury on February 25, 2011 in the case of Jeffrey Wayne Davis v. John Morse, M.D. The case involved a failure to diagnose colon cancer in a 35-year old patient who reported complaints of rectal bleeding to his gastroenterologist. Rectal bleeding is one of the major warning signs of colon cancer. Because the gastroenterologist chose not to perform a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy, the patient's colon cancer went undiagnosed for more than two years. By the time the disease was finally diagnosed, it had spread to the patient's liver and was incurable.

The case was tried by Jerry Garau and Deborah Pennington of Garau Germano Hanley & Pennington, P.C. The verdict will be reduced to $1.25 million pursuant to damage limits imposed by Indiana's Medical Malpractice Act.

Indiana medical malpractice lawyers frequently deal with cases involving the delayed diagnosis of colorectal cancer. The cases usually result from the doctor's failure to employ proper screening techniques for the disease.

Everyone over the age of 50 should be screened for colon cancer. Screening should begin earlier for patients with certain risk factors or family histories of the disease. Sigmoidoscopy is one of the primary screening tests for colorectal cancer. In this test, a lighted instrument called a sigmoidoscope is used to examine the the rectum and lower colon. Precancerous and cancerous growths can be identified and either removed or biopsied.

Early detection of colon cancer is especially important. Sypmtoms of the disease usually only appear after the disease is well advanced. The disease is most likely to be curable when it is detected early, before symptoms appear.

If you or a loved one has been injured as the result of a delayed diagnosis of colon cancer, an experienced Indiana medical malpractice lawyer may be able to help.