MEDICAL MALPRACTICE
Family of man who died from internal bleeding gets $1.8 million
On Nov. 8, the family of a man who died from internal bleeding that allegedly wasn’t caught in time after surgery recovered $1.8 million. Phillip Mazza underwent a thoracentesis at Houston Northwest Medical Center. His family claimed that the nurse in charge of Mazza after the procedure wasn’t trained in ICU care so she didn’t see the signs of bleeding. The family also sued Dr. Philip Katz, the radiologist, alleging he injured one of Mazza’s intercostal arteries during the thoracentesis. The jury found the hospital liable for the nursing staff and found Katz not liable. It awarded $2.2 million, which is subject to a statutory cap.
