Legend - Medical Malpractice at Sea

**Ally** · 09-05-2007, 05:03 PM

MIAMI, Sept. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- A lawsuit filed yesterday in Federal Court in Miami alleges that the infirmary staff on the Carnival Cruise Lines ship, the Carnival Legend, committed medical malpractice by administering the wrong medication to a passenger who was in need of medical care. Suit was filed by John H. (Jack) Hickey who this year was named as a "Super Lawyer" in the area of personal injury by the Florida Super Lawyers and who testified before Congress on crimes on cruise ships. The suit alleges that the ship's doctor and infirmary staff committed medical malpractice and misdiagnosed and mistreated a passenger, 73 year old Helen Kerr. This resulted in the wrongful death of the passenger. On the night of September 6, 2006, Kerr was suffering from a build up of fluid in her lungs. She went to the infirmary on the ship where they pumped her full of more fluid, exactly the wrong thing to do. According to the complaint, the cruise line medical staff in effect allowed Kerr to drown in her own fluids. As Kerr was suffering, the Captain of the ship would not allow or enable Kerr to be evacuated to a full medical center, with regard apparently only to the itinerary and budget of the ship. The suit asks for unspecified damages.