As a Florida lawyer who sues doctors I was very pleased to see a California jury return a “guilty” verdict against Dr. Conrad Murray for involuntary manslaughter. It is our hope that Dr. Murray never practices medicine again. More importantly, our Miami hospital injury law firm, hopes that this verdict sends a chilling message to doctors across the country who put their own profits ahead of the safety and well being of their patients.
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Many might think that what happened on June 25, 2009, in the Holmby Hills, California mansion where Michael Jackson died was unusual. In this case, jurors heard days of testimony about Propofol, the drug that killed Jackson, and listened to the typical defense which is to blame the patient for their own harm. More specifically, Dr. Murray’s lawyers argued that the singer injected the fatal dose himself.
The Judge was very clear in his view of the evidence when he issued this statement: “This is a crime where the end result (was) the death of a human being, Dr. Murray’s reckless conduct in this case poses a demonstrable risk to the safety of the public.”
He then ordered Murray taken into immediate custody and held without bail.
Of course, Dr. Murray’s lawyer was quick to tell the world that they intend to appeal the verdict. It is their right.
Our South Florida patient injury law office investigates cases every day that involve doctors who make mistakes but refuse to accept responsibility. This especially holds true in cases of malpractice that occur outside of hospitals. In Florida, ambulatory surgical centers are utilized with frightening frequency. Ill equipped, under staffed and lacking the supervision and regulation of hospitals, they offer patients an economic alternative to having procedures performed in a hospital.
As a Florida lawyers who sues hospitals, I strongly recommend that if you are considering undergoing an elective procedure and the physician suggests that it be done in a Florida ambulatory surgical center, request that it be done in a traditional hospital operating room instead. In the event there is a interoperative complication you will be far safer if you are in a hospital rather than near a hospital. The time it takes to call an ambulance and transport a patient to an emergency room can mean the difference between life and death.
Florida Statute Chapter Section 395.002 clearly defines the regulations for outpatient ambulatory surgical centers.
