Royal Palm Beach Man Sues Royal Caribbean Cruise Because of Medical Error by Infirmary Doctor
What is the biggest health hazard associated with cruise ships? Is it seasickness? Is it the close quarters, which are so conducive to the spread of infectious diseases? Consider how norovirus is notorious for affecting cruise ship passengers. Is it the buffet tables overflowing with artery-clogging burgers and pancreas-busting desserts, plus endless leisure time in which to eat them? Is it the copious amounts of alcohol, leading to all manner of ill-advised drunken stunts and their associated injuries? According to an article in the Miami New Times, Lewis Masotti’s cruise ship nightmare was much worse; it began when Masotti, an octogenarian healthy enough to go on a cruise, entered the infirmary with a mundane request. If you have suffered ill health because of a medical error, on land or at sea, you may have grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit.
Details of the Masotti Case
In May 2018, Lewis and Judith Masotti of Royal Palm Beach boarded Harmony of the Sea, a Royal Caribbean Cruise ship. Lewis was 85 and healthy enough to play golf competitively and travel frequently, but he had been using a urinary catheter for five months. Although Lewis was sometimes able to insert his own catheter, he had difficulty inserting it on the morning of May 23, so he went to the ship’s infirmary to ask for help, as his primary care doctor had advised him to do. The doctor at the infirmary inserted the catheter, and blood immediately appeared in the drainage bag. Lewis voiced his concern, saying that he had never had blood in his catheter in the time he had been using it. The doctor said that the blood must have been present in Lewis’s bladder and advised him to come back at 4:00 that afternoon when the infirmary reopened.
It turned out that the doctor had inserted the catheter incorrectly, so it was not draining urine, only blood. By 12:00, Lewis was trembling and delirious, and Judith alerted the cruise ship staff of the problem, but he did not receive medical attention until 4:00. A nurse replaced the drainage bag and sent him back to his suite. The next morning, Judith took him to the infirmary in a wheelchair; he was suffering from sepsis because of being unable to empty his bladder. At the ship’s next stop, in Cozumel, the ship’s doctors took Lewis to a hospital, where he received treatment. He required months of rehabilitation and now can only walk with a cane. Lewis and Judith have filed a lawsuit against Royal Caribbean Cruise. They have requested $750,000 in damages.
Contact Smith, Ball, Báez & Prather Injury Lawyers About Medical Malpractice Cases
No matter your age, you may be entitled to damages if you have been injured as a result of a medical error. A personal injury lawyer can help you provide the strongest evidence to support your claim. Contact Palm Beach Gardens medical malpractice lawyers at Smith, Ball, Báez & Prather Injury Lawyers for a consultation.
