Tripler Army Medical Center must, thanks to the order of U.S. District Judge David Ezra, pay $9 million to the family of Parker Kohl. Parker is a 3-year-old who suffered severe brain damage while being treated at Tipler; he now has an IQ of less than 30, must be fed through a tube, is blind and cannot walk. Judge Ezra found that the hospital was negligent in its treatment of Parker.
This resolution is the best news the family could have hoped for, as they now have the resources to care for Parker's needs.
What happened to injure this child so grievously? Parker was diagnosed with a heart defect shortly after he was born and later developed a respiratory infection that led to hospitalization--except that his condition worsened while he was in the hospital's care, leading to cardiorespiratory arrest and subsequent brain damage. According to Judge Ezra, the hospital staff's failure to monitor Parker and prevent this incident was negligent. This is an example of the importance of attentive hospital care and the disastrous consequences of a lack of such care. What can you do to prevent this kind of thing from happening to you or your child? Only one thing has a real chance of helping, and that is asking questions and speaking out if you notice anything in your care that looks improper or inadequate.
