Every day, patients receive medical assistance assuming that the treatment is fitting and compliant with appropriate medical standards. However, medical malpractice occurs all of the time. Medical personnel make mistakes, and patients should be compensated for harms suffered from such errors. Recently, a teen who lost all four of her limbs as a result of a vaccination error won a $12.6 million against one of Miami's medical schools.

Reports explain that when the teen was a newborn, she suffered intestinal problems that caused her spleen and other organs to be removed. A source notes that because the spleen filters out bacteria and viruses, the baby was administered medicine that would prevent infections.

In October 1998, the teen's mother took the child to a medical school's pediatric center for a checkup. At the appointment, the child was given a special vaccination formulated to protect against infections. However, the vaccine had expired five months earlier.

After several months, the child became ill. She was rushed to a local Miami hospital where doctors determined that she had a bacterial infection throughout her entire body. The infection created blood clots inside her arms and legs. This led to the development of gangrene in her limbs, and doctors had to amputate her legs and arms above the joints.

The family initiated a medical malpractice suit, and the verdict was handed down after a recent five-week trial. While the teen was awarded millions of dollars, this amount will be reduced because jurors found that that the teen's mother was 40 percent at fault.

The award is expected to be appealed. Miraculously, the teenager, fit with prosthetics, is on her high school's cheerleading squad. Despite the teen's life-long battle, sources say that she has a very positive approach to life.

Source: Sun Sentinel, "Miramar teen who lost limbs wins $12.6 mil malpractice suit," Robert Nolin, Jan. 13, 2012