Ashanti Norals, 11, suffered a relatively minor knee injury at school, but hospital negligence led to the amputation of all four of her limbs.
To live a quality life, she needs a home modified for her handicaps, a personal assistant, prosthetic limbs and a specialized wheelchair. These accommodations cost millions of dollars – an unrealistic sum for her family – until Norals recently settled a medical malpractice lawsuit against the University of Chicago Medical Center for $32 million.
The lawsuit claims that doctors acted negligently when Norals presented herself at the medical center. The girl was suffering from a deadly infection caused by her knee injury, but the University of Chicago Medical Center did not treat her with antibiotics for more than 24 hours.
As a result, Norals suffered septic shock, cardiac arrest and organ failure. To save her life, her arms had to be amputated at the elbows and her legs at the knees.
Norals and her mother are remarkable people; they have remained upbeat about her condition and are thankful that she survived the gangrene and sepsis.
This medical malpractice lawsuit settlement will not make Norals rich, but it will provide her with all the tools she needs to have a long, meaningful and productive life. If she had a chance to give back the money and reverse her condition she undoubtedly would, but this remarkable girl is instead focusing on her bright future.
If you or a loved one has suffered serious harm because of hospital negligence, an experienced Michigan medical malpractice attorney can help you examine your legal opportunities.
McKeen & Associates, PC, is a Detroit-based injury law firm that represents medical malpractice victims anywhere in the U.S.
Source: ABA Journal, “Girl Gets $32 Million Settlement In Med-Mal Case Over Quadruple Limb Amputations,” Martha Neil, Jan. 3, 2014
