A wrongful death lawsuit filed by a Milford widow against a health care provider and a doctor in 2016 recently settled. The suit itself was filed by Karen Lockwood, a resident of Milford, about “three years after her husband, Michael Lockwood, died of septic shock the day after he was admitted to a Nashua hospital.” The defendants in the suit included Southern New Hampshire Health and Dr. Abraham Jacob.
A wrongful death lawsuit filed by a Milford widow against a health care provider and a doctor in 2016 recently settled. The suit itself was filed by Karen Lockwood, a resident of Milford, about “three years after her husband, Michael Lockwood, died of septic shock the day after he was admitted to a Nashua hospital.” The defendants in the suit included Southern New Hampshire Health and Dr. Abraham Jacob.
According to the suit, Southern New Hampshire Health owns the walk-in clinic that Mr. Lockwood visited the day before his death. Dr. Jacob is the physician who treated him. In her suit, Mrs. Lockwood argued that Jacob failed to “warn her and her husband about a blood test result that showed her husband had a life-threatening blood infection and that he should seek emergency treatment.”
At the time, however, Jacob and the health provider pushed back against the allegations and claimed that “Jacob did deliver that information, and that he did so while speaking with the Lockwoods by phone several hours after they returned home from the clinic.”
Despite pushing back against the allegations, the defendants and Mrs. Lockwood agreed to the settlement, which “abruptly ended the jury trials” that was supposed to take place days after the settlement was agreed to.
As part of the settlement, Mrs. Lockwood is expected to receive damages, the amount of which has been kept confidential so far. While commenting on the settlement agreement, Mrs. Lockwood’s attorney, Benjamin Gideon, said:
“I’m not able to discuss details … however, I can say that we are very glad to have had the opportunity to present the evidence to the people of New Hampshire…We want to thank the jurors and (Judge Jacalyn Colburn) for the time and effort they put into hearing this case.”
Gideon also mentioned how honored he was to have represented Mrs. Lockwood, and said:
“She and her family have faced a long road since Michael Lockwood’s death…and they have conducted themselves with the utmost dignity throughout the process.”
When asked about the case, Gideon said it was “about the policies and safety rules that govern the actions of hospitals and doctors.” He added, “while we have tremendous respect for our medical professionals, we as a society also have an important duty to keep watch on medical institutions, and to make sure the standards of care are being met.”
At the moment, Jacob and Southern New Hampshire Health have yet to respond to requests for comment.
Sources:
Milford widow’s wrongful death suit settled; amount withheld
Trial ends early as settlement reached in medical malpractice case
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