Justice for Valerie Hurley

18/10/2021

Malpractice Claims from the COVID-19 Pandemic: More Questions Than Answers June 8, 2021 Feature Article Share via: Font Size A A A Updated April 9, 2021: The pandemic has raised pressing questions around preventive measures, vaccines, and safe treatment, but it has also obscured one key lingering un...

21/09/2020

Today, my oldest asked to go see Aunt Val’s bench while we were at the zoo. It was very important to him that it be part of our day. This is the first time visiting that he could read the plaque on his own. He read it, but didn’t understand why anyone would want to dance in the rain. The best I could explain it to him was this, don’t let anything stand in your way of doing what is important to you. Don’t let little disappointments (like rain on a day you have plans to be outdoors) become big disappointments. Once a day is gone, you can’t get it back.

As an added bonus little sister decided to get in on the fun, and she was too cute not to share as well.

11/08/2020

At least 5 Big Ten players have been diagnosed with having myocarditis. This disease attacks the myocardium muscle of the heart and is often caused by a viral infection. Since COVID-19 is a viral infection, schools have been doing cardiac testing including ECG’s. According to her autopsy, Valerie had myocarditis. This diagnosis was not made during her hospital stay. This disease apparently weakened her heart and adding so much fluid to a weakened heart ultimately caused her heart to cease functioning. If myocarditis is a possible effect of COVID-19, it will likely be important to include cardiac testing as a means of preventing further issues.

The cases of myocarditis are reportedly a reason why Big Ten officials have weighed not playing football and other fall sports in 2020.

15/07/2020

How do you know if what happened is actually malpractice? Here are some of the basics.

Medical malpractice refers to professional negligence by a health care provider that leads to substandard treatment, resulting in injury to a patient.

27/06/2020

Six years ago today, a jury found Tennova’s North Knoxville Medical Center at fault for the wrongful death of my younger sister, Valerie Hurley. I hope that Valerie’s story has enlightened our community on the dangers of medical malpractice. I also hope that her story gives courage to the families of other malpractice victims to fight on for the justice they deserve as well. Nothing will replace a loved one, but this fight is an important one that affects us all, and so we must all continue to be vigilant and support victims and their families.

19/06/2020

The idea that doctors should be held liable for their mistakes came about way back around 1754 BC. The first recorded case of malpractice took place in 1374. The first malpractice case in the United States took place in 1794, when none other than George Washington was president. It would take until the 1980's for the United States to implement sweeping legislation that would lead to reform. That legislation led to limits being placed on the hours that medical workers could work. Hopefully, it won't take another 200 years for our legislators to realize that new sweeping reform is needed.

Learn about the exciting history of medical malpractice. Discover facts about the origin of medical malpractice dating back to the Code of Hammurabi.

08/06/2020

According to this article published by Hofstra University, 10% of deaths in the U.S. are caused by medical errors. The Institute of Medicine reports that between 44,000 and 98,000 patients die in hospitals annually due to medical errors with many researchers believing those numbers to be “woefully low”. Always bring someone with you to the hospital who will advocate for you. Ask a lot of questions, ask for a second opinion (some studies show that the second opinion is completely different 90% of the time), and make complaints to hospital administration when there’s a problem. As long as hospitals have investors to make happy, patients’ interests will always be compromised.

A look at medical malpractice statistics and how health care providers can improve safety & organizational performance.

17/05/2020

Yesterday would have been Valerie’s 37th birthday. This is her nephew Maverick. He never got to meet her, but he wanted to do a cake and blow out candles for her.

27/04/2020

Should we change the rules for corona virus or should the laws in place be sufficient? If changes are necessary, how far reaching should they be? Should they only directly affect those with Covid-19 or should they be applied to all patients? If the rules are changed, how long would they be in place before those changes would need to expire. This is a tough one. Malpractice is common, but it's getting harder and harder to seek relief for the damages caused.

U.S. medical professionals on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic are lobbying policymakers for protection from potential malpractice lawsuits as hospitals triage care and physicians take on roles outside their specialties.

25/04/2020

My oldest son wearing his aunt Valerie’s graduation cap. He just finished kindergarten. Getting his photo taken is not his favorite, but when I told him that he was going to be wearing something of Valerie’s, he was so excited. I know I’m proud and she would be too.

12/04/2020

For those of us who have experienced loss, we know that it is only temporary because of this day. He is risen!

16/05/2016

Val would have been 33 today. That was the age I was when I had my first child. She now has four nieces and nephews that she will never meet in this life. I can't help but to imagine all of the possibilities she had in front of her. Marriage, babies, career...all the wonderful things in life that are so easy to take for granted. I can't tell if it feels like yesterday or a million years ago since I last saw her. All of this happened because of careless mistakes that could have been easily prevented. Had Valerie received the healthcare she deserved, she would still be with us today. Though we have fought and got what justice we could for her, the battle must continue on for better healthcare for the rest of us. I have recently written to several congressmen to talk about bringing new healthcare laws to Tennessee similar to California's AB394. In the coming days and weeks, I will be starting up a new website about the matter as well as starting a petition. Together we can all make a change so that we reduce the cases like Valerie's that cause so much needless loss and heartache.