Jury awards $14 million to Hollywood man paralyzed in surgery
Doctor punctured artery inserting a mesh stent
By Bob LaMendola
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
HOLLYWOOD - A Hollywood father's family won a $14
million medical malpractice verdict against a doctor who accidentally
punctured the man's artery during surgery following his stroke,
leaving the man paralyzed and bedridden, his attorneys said today.
Francis Ziadie was 46 in May 2002 when he went to
Memorial Regional Hospital with slurred speech and dizziness, and
his symptoms eased when doctors gave him drugs to break up a blood
clot causing the stroke, said his attorney, Crane Johnstone.
Soon after, radiologist Dr. Hoang Dinh Doung surgically
inserted a mesh stent to prop open Ziadie's carotid artery to improve
blood flow, but punctured the blood vessel causing heavy bleeding
into his brain, Johnstone said. Ziadie now needs constant care from
his elderly mother.
A jury this week awarded $5 million for Ziadie's medical
care, $8 million for pain and suffering, and $250,000 each for his
two minor sons. The hospital, his health insurer and two other doctors
reached earlier settlements with Ziadie, court records show.
The jury found no negligence by a surgeon in the case,
Dr. David Feldbaum. Duong's attorney, George Bunnell, could not
be reached for comment with calls to his office.
Sheldon J. Schlesinger, P.A. represents clients throughout
the state of Florida including the cities of Boca Raton, Boynton
Beach, Carol City, Cooper City, Coral Gables, Coral Springs, Davie,
Deerfield Beach, Delray Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Hialeah, Hollywood,
Jupiter, Lake Worth, Miramar, Miami, Oakland Park, Palm Beach, Palm
Beach Gardens, Palm Springs, Pompano Beach, and Rivera Beach
Broward County • Miami-Dade County • Palm Beach
County
