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In February 2013, 68-year-old Margaret Parr received surgery to repair a hernia in her upper stomach, and was later discharged by her doctor on the same day, according to her Nassau County-based lawyers Duffy & Duffy, who have offices in Uniondale.
Her lawyers said that after being released, Parr - who had two adult children and four grandchildren - died in pain the next day after a blood clot developed, cutting off the flow of oxygen to her organs, which subsequently failed.
Parr’s wife, Suzanne Czerepinski, age 67, filed a lawsuit against surgeon Dr. Medhat Allam and his Southampton practice, Eastern Long Island Surgery, in 2014 claiming he should have monitored Parr overnight post-surgery given she had vascular disease and two stents in her arteries.
“No family should have to go through this,” Czerepinski said. “It was neglect and he needed to be brought to account for that. My spouse was in terrific pain following the surgery.”
After years of litigation, Duffy & Duffy announced that a jury awarded her family a $2.5 million verdict after courts officially reopened following the COVID-19 outbreak following a two-week trial in Suffolk County Supreme Court.
“Now that courts have fully reopened and are beginning to hold trials again, victims of medical malpractice are finally getting their day in court, and justice is being served,” a Duffy & Duffy spokesperson said. "With cases now proceeding again to trial, insurance companies no longer have the upper hand when it comes to their delay tactics.”
The jury unanimously agreed that Allam was complicit in Parr’s death and her family was awarded $2.2 million for her 20 hours of conscious pain and suffering, and $300,000 for the loss of parental care and guidance for her daughter.
“We are very pleased that the jury found in our client’s favor,” Michael Duffy, Managing Partner at Duffy & Duffy said. “We were able to prove that the surgeon was negligent and unnecessarily caused this death.
“Patients deserve accountability from their health care professionals — a right we strive to protect.”
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