<![CDATA[Medical Malpractice - Aretsky Law Group, P.C.]]> https://www.aretsky-law.com/blog/categories/medical-malpractice/ Mon, 18 Aug 2025 15:26:25 GMT en-us <![CDATA[Eighteen New Jersey Medical Professionals Face Charges]]> https://www.aretsky-law.com/blog/eighteen-new-jersey-medical-professionals-face-charges/ https://www.aretsky-law.com/blog/eighteen-new-jersey-medical-professionals-face-charges/ Tue, 01 Oct 2019 01:31:16 GMT Eighteen New Jersey medical professionals have faced legal trouble during the past year due to reasons such as opioid, sex, fraud, or stabbing charges involving patients. Some of these cases include a registered nurse who stabbed a 10-year old autistic child with a needle when he was behaving disruptively. The nurse, Naomi Derrick of Sicklerville,…

]]> Eighteen New Jersey medical professionals have faced legal trouble during the past year due to reasons such as opioid, sex, fraud, or stabbing charges involving patients. Some of these cases include a registered nurse who stabbed a 10-year old autistic child with a needle when he was behaving disruptively. The nurse, Naomi Derrick of Sicklerville, supposedly threatened the autistic child with a needle while he was being hospitalized in an Atlantic City psychiatric unit.

According to reports from the Office of Attorney General, Derrick stabbed the child at least six times throughout the duration of the 12 hour shift. Derrick’s conduct was recorded using a security camera found in the room, which revealed footage of her stabbing the child on his “upper arm, thigh, kneecaps, [and] foot and hand” resulting in an accumulation of blood droplets. Derrick claims she did not actually stab the child, but did admit to using the needle as a threat to encourage good behavior.

Other cases of poor ethics in the New Jersey medical community include individuals who have been accused of taking bribes, such as the case of a Bergen County pharmacist, Eduard Shtindler, who is charged with conspiracy for health care fraud. Shtindler supposedly paid kickbacks to a Hudson County based psychiatrist in order to provoke the doctor to direct his patients to the pharmacy that Shtindler owns in West New York. This scheme resulted in nearly $3 million worth of medications prescribed by the doctor which were filled by Shtindler’s pharmacy.

Unfortunately, these cases of violations of healthcare ethics are becoming prevalent.

Medical malpractice is a leading cause of personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits in New Jersey. Unfortunately, while we typically expect hospitals and doctors to treat us with optimal care, this is not always the case. There are a plethora of errors that medical professionals and institutions make regularly, including issues with surgical techniques, anesthesia, birth injuries, and bedsores. In fact, it is estimated that there have been over 300,000 premature deaths attributed to medical malpractice in the United States each year.

Poor conduct by doctors can also take place in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Commonly, this conduct includes bed sores, dropped patients, choking, medication errors, and dehydration. The Department of Health in the United States holds nursing homes to a high standard, outlined in the Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987. This provided many protections to patients and their families, including the ability to monitor and update the patient’s Care Plan. Nursing home facilities must be in compliance with these federal regulations in order to receive tax dollars from Medicare and Medicaid to fund operations.

Unfortunately, these regulations are often not enough. If you or loved one has suffered from nursing home abuse or experienced poor care from a trusted medical professional, contact the Aretsky Law Group P.C. in order to protect your family’s rights and ensure that you are properly compensated for any violations of patient rights that may have occurred.

]]> <![CDATA[Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed Following the Death of Westfield, New Jersey Principal]]> https://www.aretsky-law.com/blog/wrongful-death-lawsuit-filed-following-the-death-of-westfield-new-jersey-principal/ https://www.aretsky-law.com/blog/wrongful-death-lawsuit-filed-following-the-death-of-westfield-new-jersey-principal/ Thu, 25 Jul 2019 18:42:08 GMT A wrongful death lawsuit was recently filed by the fiancée of treasured New Jersey school principal Derrick Nelson, following his April 7, 2019 death. Nelson, 44, was the principal of Westfield High School in Westfield, New Jersey, and died while receiving bone marrow transplant surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center. Nelson was undergoing the surgery…

]]> A wrongful death lawsuit was recently filed by the fiancée of treasured New Jersey school principal Derrick Nelson, following his April 7, 2019 death. Nelson, 44, was the principal of Westfield High School in Westfield, New Jersey, and died while receiving bone marrow transplant surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center. Nelson was undergoing the surgery in order to donate his bone marrow to a 14-year old boy suffering from cancer in France, when the procedure went awry. Nelson’s fiancée Sheronda Braker has sought the counsel of New Jersey wrongful death attorneys to litigate this matter.

Nelson perished after falling into a coma during the transplant surgery. According to his family, Nelson should have not been administered anesthesia during the surgery due to preconditions such as sleep apnea and being overweight, which medical personnel should have recognized. The lawsuit acknowledges that Nelson had an oxygen level of 91 when he was administered anesthesia, which is not considered medically appropriate.

According to the suit, filed by Nelson’s fiancée Sheronda Braker, the eleven defendants breached the standard of care by taking too long to recognize the bradycardia that Nelson was suffering from, and failing to provide adequate ventilation, eventually leading to Nelson’s coma.

The complaint accuses the eleven defendants of negligence. In a wrongful death suit, the plaintiff must establish legal liability by proving that the defendant owed a duty of care to the patient, indicate that the defendant breached this duty of care, and lastly, that the breach of the duty of care directly caused the wrongful death. In the case of Nelson, the attorney representing Braker must make a strong case to prove that Nelson’s death is directly caused by the medical professionals’ failure to recognize and mitigate the concerns surrounding the administration of anesthesia.

According to the attorney representing Sheronda Braker, “Nelson would ‘absolutely’ still be alive today if [the defendant] had noticed the red flags and never started the procedure”. As such, providing sufficient evidence linking the defendant’s lack of oversight to Nelson’s death will be critical to succeeding in the lawsuit.

A final important element of wrongful death case is establishing damages. According to the New Jersey Wrongful Death Act, only pecuniary damages may be awarded to the plaintiff in the event of a victory. As the Act describes, “the purpose of the award is the replacement of services that the decedent would have rendered and nothing more”. This includes loss of income, loss of services, and funeral expenses. Each of these figures is typically deduced by a court-appointed economist.

Medical malpractice is one of the leading causes of wrongful death lawsuits in the United States.

Unfortunately, medical malpractice lawsuits are commonplace. In fact, over 300,000 premature deaths are attributed to medical malpractice in the United States each year, following car accidents. At Aretsky Law Group P.C., we recognize the grievance, and frustration that a wrongful death can have on your family. Our dedicated team of Bergen County wrongful death attorneys will work with you and your family to help navigate the legal complexities of a wrongful death suit and help you to regain an element of composure in your life following the death of a loved one. Keep in mind that due to the statue of limitations in New Jersey, your wrongful death claim must be filed within two years of the incident.

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