Delaware County jury awards $7.4M in med-mal case

He was 61, a smoker, afflicted with high blood pressure and diabetes, but a doctor should not have ignored Finis Cuff’s high blood pressure of 200/80 during a visit in 2010. So said a jury in Delaware County recently in awarding nearly $7.4 million to Cuff, who suffered a stroke two days after leaving the doctor’s office. Cuff, of Darby, Pa., remains permanently disabled, without proper use of his legs and one arm and confined to a wheelchair. Defendants in the case were Dr. Douglas L. Keagle, Mercy Health System of Southeastern Pennsylvania and Mercy Medical Associates in Darby. The trial in Media lasted seven days during which the defense tried to blame Cuff for his stroke, noting his prior ailments and the fact that he had missed several medical appointments. But the 12-member jury didn’t buy it, recognizing that Cuff’s blood pressure was 200/80 at the doctor’s office and that he left without adequate treatment. Two days later, his BP had risen to 280/150. He was rushed to a hospital suffering blocked cerebral arteries. Cuff was represented by attorneys Andrew J. Stern and Elizabeth A. Crawford of Philadelphia-based Kline & Specter, PC Learn more about medical malpractice and misdiagnosis lawsuits or call us at 800-243-1100 to speak with a medical malpractice attorney.