Failure to diagnose temporal arteritis

$1,000,000

An elderly woman went to the ER with dark spots in vision. The ER diagnosed visual artifacts from migraines. He missed the high sedimentation rate results on her bloodwork and sent her home without entertaining other diagnoses. He did not administer or prescribe high doses of steroids to address the problem. Two days later she woke up completely blind in both eyes. Doctors at another hospital diagnosed temporal arteritis, a condition if not treated early, results in total and irreversible blindness because of lack of oxygen and blood supply to the ocular region. She moved to the West Coast to live with her daughters. After the suit was filed, defense counsel wanted to take her deposition in Massachusetts. Attorney Goodman filed an emergency motion with the court, asking for an order to compel defense counsel to go to San Francisco to take her deposition since their client set the whole preventable disaster in motion. The case was later settled for a significant sum which allowed her to live out the balance of her life comfortably with extra home aid, transportation services and other assistance.