The Cochran Firm Legal Blog

A Virginia Circuit Court judge upheld a $1.95 million award to the family of a 36-year-old woman who died after undergoing plastic surgery in July 2008. The victim, a mother of four, went in for a Mommy Makeover. Mommy makeovers are procedures encompassing several procedures at the same time, and are popular among many women.

The victim had undergone breast augmentation, liposuction and a tummy tuck. She was sent home even though she was having trouble breathing. One of her children found her nearly two days later unresponsive. The family requested an autopsy and it was found that the victim died of aspiration pneumonia. This is caused from breathing in foreign material, which causes an inflammation of the lungs and the airway.

A jury awarded the family of the woman the compensation in August for her wrongful death, but the plastic surgeon's attorney filed a motion to set aside the verdict. That motion was denied last Friday, October 1.

Medical procedures injure and kill hundreds of thousands of people every year. Nearly all of these deaths and serious injuries are avoidable. Medical malpractice involving a plastic surgeon can include:

• Scarring
  
• Nerve damage
  
• Aesthetic damage
  
• Anesthetic or medication errors
  
• Psychological trauma
  
• Wrongful death
  

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured due to the negligence of a plastic surgeon, please contact the experienced medical malpractice attorneys at the Cochran Firm. We serve clients nationwide.