A Mobile state court jury returned a $4.5 million verdict against Coastal Neurological Institute for the wrongful death of a 56-year-old man. The man died on June 18, 2008, after he suffered a serious allergic reaction to an MRI contrast agent that was administered during a routine outpatient MRI. The case was brought on behalf of the estate of the patient, Cecil Roy Thomas. Ty Brown represented the plaintiff. He was assisted by local counsel during the one-week trial.
The case focused on the medical clinic staff’s failure to respond quickly enough to Mr. Thomas’ reaction and to administer the drug epinephrine – the well-established first-line treatment for any serious allergic reactions – and also the medical clinic’s failure to have basic emergency equipment and medications available to manage the worst kind of reactions known to occur with contrast agents.
