Widow settles VA hospital suit

November 25, 2008

A widow who sued the U.S. government over her husband’s death at the Marion VA Medical Center has accepted a settlement of almost $1 million.

Robert Shank III of Murray, Ky., died in the hospital after gallbladder surgery last year. His widow, Katrina, sued this year, alleging medical negligence and accusing the government of failing to adequately check the background of her husband’s surgeon, Dr. Jose Veizaga-Mendez, before hiring him.

“It was a combination of negligence in the way he did the surgery and post-operative care, and institutional negligence for allowing him to practice there,” her Chicago attorney, Dr. Stanley Heller, said Monday.

The suit was settled Nov. 13.

A spokeswoman for the hospital, located 15 miles east of Carbondale, did not return a call Monday afternoon. The facility serves veterans from parts of Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky.

Read Article: Chicago Tribune

Posted By: Phoenix DUI Attorney