The Becker Law Firm, LPA is proud to report that Attorney-Partner Romney Cullers won a wrongful death trial last week against The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Two physicians and a nurse practitioner employed by the medical center prescribed high-dose oxycodone pain medication to a young man who had previously overcome an oxycodone addiction. The prescription caused him to fatally overdose.
About the Oxycodone Wrongful Death Case
The young man was discharged from the hospital following spine surgery, and he was given a high-dose oxycodone pain medication. He had previously been addicted to oxycodone but had successfully completed a drug rehabilitation program and had been opioid-free for six years. The two physicians who were the primary focus of the trial knew about their patient’s history of addiction but gave him morphine and high doses of oxycodone for several days while he was a patient in the hospital anyway. The nurse practitioner working with the two physicians then discharged the young man from the hospital with a prescription for a bottle of oxycodone tablets without any follow-up plans for weaning him from the addictive pain medication. Additionally, the physicians and nurse did not attempt to consult with an addiction medicine specialist before discharging him, nor did they seek any input from the young man’s primary care physician who had been managing his ongoing struggle with addiction.
Only 36 hours after discharge, the young man was found dead at home from an oxycodone overdose. He was a married father of three young children.
Following a two-week trial, the court determined that the physicians and nurse were negligent and responsible for the man’s death. Attorney Cullers tried the case in The Ohio Court of Claims, a special court where cases against Ohio state institutions must be brought. The case was bifurcated, which means that fault on the part of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center was decided at the trial. A second trial will now be held to determine the amount of compensation that should be awarded to the young man’s surviving widow and three children.
Fighting for the People in Our Communities
The Becker Law Firm, LPA proudly fights for the rights of the wrongfully injured and people who have lost loved ones to inexcusable negligence. If you or a loved one were injured in an accident or due to medical malpractice in Ohio, then please let our law firm know what happened. During a free consultation, we can determine if you have a claim and what to do next if you do. Dial (440) 252-4399 for more information.