April 9, 2021: After a 3-week trial, one of the first in-person civil cases to be heard in Las Vegas since the start of the pandemic, a jury took just 3 hours of deliberation to return a guilty verdict of $29.5M, plus an additional $1.5M the judge added for medical expenses, finding MedicWest Ambulance Inc. liable in a suit that accused the ambulance company of being negligent in their treatment of Chantel Giacalone during a 2013 medical incident. While Chantel was working as a model at a fashion convention, she took a bite of a snack offered by a friend, unaware that it contained peanuts. This triggered a severe allergic reaction, eventually sending her into anaphylactic shock which caused Chantel to go without oxygen for several minutes, resulting in brain damage and quadriplegia. Despite Chantel telling the medics immediately that she was experiencing an allergic reaction and had received no relief from her EpiPen, they did not immediately administer any type of epinephrine and instead began checking her vitals to see if she was dealing with a “mental health situation”. To compound the matter, once Chantel began to go into shock, the MedicWest faculty did not have intravenous epinephrine on hand, directly flouting state health regulations.
Christian Morris was the lead counsel for Ms. Giacalone and stated afterward that her clients were satisfied with the verdict, as it would allow them to properly take care of their daughter and that it will hopefully deter similar future incidents. Additionally, Christian stated:
Corporations are putting their profits before patients and at some point it does have to stop. I found that [MedicWest was] shorting all kinds of medications, dextrose, activated charcoal, even shorting aspirin in the bags. She walked into the perfect storm of medics who were not trained to take [treatment] seriously and a company that never took it seriously. If this verdict is not enough for them, what will be?
If you or someone you love has been harmed due to the negligence of another, Christian Morris Trial Attorneys is here to help you fight for the justice you deserve. Our attorneys have helped clients all over Nevada obtain the compensation they deserve for their damages and we can do the same for you. Contact us today to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney.
Sources:
https://www.law360.com/articles/1375717/law360-s-tort-report-ex-model-wins-30m-injury-verdict
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/chantel-giacalone-allergic-reaction-b1830119.html
