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According to recent news reports, Melissa Rivers, the late Joan Rivers’ daughter, claims her mother’s death was “100 percent preventable” and alleges that the doctors attending her mother caused her death due to gross negligence and medical malpractice.
As a result, she has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Yorkville Endoscopy Clinic and Dr. Gwen Korovin, Joan Rivers’ personal doctor, claiming they provided her mother with subpar medical treatment before her death. On May 4, Melissa Rivers was interviewed on the Today Show, where she stated:
“In my opinion, [her death] was 100 percent preventable. How about paying attention to the vital signs? No family should ever have to go through what my mother, [my son] Cooper and I have been through. The level of medical mismanagement, incompetency, disrespect, and outrageous behavior is shocking and frankly, almost incomprehensible.”
Melissa claims she is filing this wrongful death lawsuit as a way to ensure that Yorkville Endoscopy Clinic and Dr. Korovin do not repeat the level of medical malpractice and negligence that led to her mother’s death in September of last year. According to an investigation performed after Joan Rivers’ death, the attending doctors made grave errors during a routine throat surgery, including delaying administering CPR and failing to call 911 as soon as Joan stopped breathing during the procedure.
According to Melissa’s medical malpractice wrongful death lawsuit, the doctors ignored Joan’s plummeting vital signs and continued to perform two unauthorized laryngoscopies for almost 20 minutes after the patient stopped breathing. The wrongful death lawsuit even alleges the doctors took selfies with the unconscious Joan Rivers during the procedure, while ignoring the anesthesiologist’s cries for immediate resuscitation of the patient.
Wrongful Death Litigation
A wrongful death lawsuit is a form of litigation filed against a company, entity, or individual who allegedly practiced negligence or some form of misconduct that caused a loved one’s death. These types of lawsuits are not just filed by high profile clients like Joan Rivers’ daughter Melissa. Anyone whose loved one died as a result of negligence or medical misconduct can file a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of themselves and their deceased loved one.
Plaintiffs who pursue a wrongful death lawsuit have the burden of proof and must bring evidence that their loved one’s death was caused by someone else’s negligence or misconduct. They must also prove that the plaintiff or plaintiffs suffered measurable damages because of their family member’s wrongful death.
There are many types of wrongful death lawsuits. Some common claims brought forth in wrongful death litigation include:
- Car Accidents
- Bicycle or Pedestrian Accidents
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Boating Accidents
- Medical Malpractice
- Medication Errors
- Workplace Accidents
- Drowning Accidents
- Nursing Home Neglect/Abuse
- Slip and Fall Accidents
- Defective Products
- Other Personal Injury Claims that Caused a Death
Wrongful death lawsuits and wrongful death class action lawsuits are filed by surviving family members after a loved one has died to due someone else’s negligence or recklessness. These suits allow a mourning family to receive monetary compensation that will help ease their loss. Obviously, the money cannot bring a dead family member back, but it will help ease the family’s financial burden as the compensation can go toward paying for medical and funeral costs. A wrongful death award can also help mitigate the loss of support a family experiences without the work of the deceased.
Family members can also sue for pain and suffering and loss of consortium claims, as spouses and close family members can allege that they have been deprived of their loved one’s companionship and affection because of their alleged wrongful death. Additionally, in some states a family can be awarded punitive damages, an amount that a company or entity must pay as a form of punishment for negligence and other actions that allegedly lead to a worker or employee’s wrongful death.
Obtain a Free Wrongful Death Case Evaluation
If your loved one died from a personal injury caused by the negligence or intentional misconduct of another party, you may be able to pursue compensation for your loss, including but not limited to: medical or funeral expenses, loss of financial support, pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and punitive damages.
The following types of wrongful death cases are common examples of what a family member can sue for:
- Car Accidents
- Bicycle or Pedestrian Accidents
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Boating Accidents
- Medical Malpractice
- Medication Errors
- Workplace Accidents
- Drowning Accidents
- Nursing Home Neglect/Abuse
- Slip and Fall Accidents
- Defective Products
- Other Personal Injury Claims that Caused the Death
