Veteran Files Medical Malpractice Lawsuit against VA Hospital

WIVB in Buffalo, New York, reports that war veteran David Cohen put his life on the line for his country only to have the VA hospital turn down his request for a colonoscopy that would have detected his deadly colon cancer.

“I was diagnosed with stage four colorectal cancer in August,“ Cohen said. Cohen was diagnosed with colon cancer in August 2009, but he had been requesting a colonoscopy since at least December 2008 because he had signs of colon cancer and a family history of colon cancer.

“My grandmother died of colon cancer in the seventies,” said Cohen. Several other family members had also showed signs of colon cancer. When Cohen started to have symptoms of colon cancer, he requested a colonoscopy. But his request was denied by the VA hospital.

“I didn’t understand why I was not being approved – denied every single request,” said Cohen.

Cohen provided WIVB with proof that he had been denied. He showed paperwork from a request he submitted in December 2008. His request was denied just four minutes later.

“The prognosis from what they say is 26 months,” said Cohen. “But I don’t ever plan on living up to that.”

Cohen says that he plans to live much longer than 26 months. He is on a mission to educate the public about health care. When it comes to your health care, Cohen says, don’t take “no” for an answer.

“If you feel something is wrong,” he said,” if you know something, if you feel you’re not getting the right answers, don’t take anyone’s word for it until you get yourself checked out and know for yourself.”

When asked if he felt like he had been let down by his country, Cohen said, “I don’t’ know about the country letting me down. I know the VA let me down.”

Cohen said he filed the medical malpractice lawsuit as part of his efforts to educate the public about health care.

The VA hospital said that health regulations and the lawsuit prevent comments on a specific patient, but a spokesperson said that the VA hospital has a comprehensive colon cancer screening program that follows that U.S. Preventive Health Task Force recommendations for screening.

Medical malpractice cases are typically, long, complex, and difficult to pursue. Medical malpractice may apply to hospitals and doctors as well as other healthcare providers including chiropractors, therapists, nurses, psychologists, and dentists. Common medical malpractice cases involve failure to diagnose, medication errors, diagnosis errors, and failure to properly attend to the patient. Hospitals and other healthcare providers rarely settle cases early. If you’ve been injured due to medical negligence or medical malpractice, prepare for a long fight in the courtroom. Hospitals and doctors will certainly hire a lawyer who specializes in defending medical malpractice claims. You will need an experienced Georgia medical malpractice attorney on your side to have a decent shot at winning the case. Call Neff Injury Law at 404-531-9700 to schedule a free consultation. Call now, as time is of the essence. You may lose your right to sue if you wait too long.