One Million Awarded for Surgical Death

Maria Garcia, a 66-year-old woman, died of a brain injury caused by the lack of oxygen during a surgery in 2008.  Subsequently, her family filed a malpractice suit against the anesthesiologist.

The trial took about two weeks and resulted in the family being awarded $1.2 million.  The jury found the doctor professionally negligent, and this negligence as the cause of death.  The doctor had failed to realize the breathing tube had moved and failed to treat very low blood pressure during the procedure.