Fatal Brazilian Butt Lift Underscores Importance of Cosmetic Surgery Lawyers

A cosmetic surgery lawyer plays an important role in holding irresponsible surgeons responsible when things go wrong. The right legal team will help you and your family win compensation for injury or death tied to surgical malpractice or neglect.

Last month, a young mother died after a Brazilian butt lift procedure turned fatal. In response, government authorities issued an emergency restriction order against the Coral Gables, Florida surgeon. The order essentially prevents the doctor from conducting any other surgical procedures while the investigation and case are ongoing.

It’s incredible to think someone can go into a cosmetic surgery center for what they think is a routine operation, only to never walk out again. While fatalities related to cosmetic surgery are rare, they do happen much more frequently than they should.

Sure, the mortality rate may be well under 1 percent, but there is still a risk. (A mortality rate of 1% is considered very, very high; that means that 1 out of 100 patients will die!)  When deaths do occur, they are often preventable. Sometimes deaths and injuries happen because a surgeon or some other medical provider made mistakes. Medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death in the United States. That’s not something the medical profession likes to talk about.

Medical and surgical malpractice victims are often left holding the bag. They have to pay for months or even years of physical therapy and care. They are the ones wearing the scars of a botched surgery or, in this case, a child living without a parent.

A surgery malpractice lawyer is your best pay to pursue damages for surgical malpractice to help pay for medical costs and trauma from surgical errors.

Details of a Botched Brazilian Butt Lift

This case hits close to home. It happened in Florida, where procedures like this are increasingly popular. South Florida is a plastic surgery center known for having some of the best surgeons in the world. It’s also considered a mecca for “the beautiful people” and a place where people travel from other countries for medical procedures.

That doesn’t mean, however, that all surgeons are good. People often assume quality by association. Just because a cosmetic surgery center is in Florida, it doesn’t mean it’s a world-class facility.

The victim, in this case, traveled from New Jersey to South Florida for the surgery. She and a friend both underwent liposuction and a Brazilian butt lift. According to media reports, the surgical clinic referred them to a recovery house hours following the operation.

They traveled to a home, and soon after the victim arrived, she called her friend complaining about severe pain. Hours later, the victim’s friend woke to screams, and people gathered around the victim. At this point, the victim was unconscious and bleeding severely.

Miami Fire Rescue eventually responded to the scene. They noted they found the victim seizing and indicated she may have overdosed on pain medication. Soon after, her heart stopped.

She died less than 24 hours after her surgery.

According to reports, the surgeon unintentionally lacerated the 33-year-old victim’s abdominal wall, bladder, intestines, and liver. He also used a technique banned by the Florida Board of Medicine. The technique involved injecting fat deep into gluteal muscles that increased the mortality risk.

The Issue with Unlicensed Recovery Homes

There are a lot of surgical recovery homes operating in South Florida, owing to the prevalence of surgical clinics and plastic surgery tourism. People use recovery homes to relax and receive the care they need after surgery.

Right now, most cosmetic surgeries are outpatient procedures. The patient leaves hours after the surgery, and there are typically no beds and after-surgery care facilities on-site.

When most people think of outpatient procedures, they envision minor surgeries where people walk out on their own two feet. Something, perhaps, like a rhinoplasty (nose job) or mole removal comes to mind.

These days, however, surgical clinics are taking on serious operations and classifying them as outpatient procedures.

If you’re not familiar with a Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL), it’s an invasive procedure that requires days or more of after-surgery care. It involves removing fat from other parts of the body and injecting them into the buttocks to make it rounder and lifted.

These types of surgeries are dangerous to begin with, but they also need intensive support during aftercare.

Entering an unlicensed recovery home can be tempting because it saves patients money, but the consequences are sometimes not worth the money you save.

How a Cosmetic Surgery Lawyer Helps Victims

While no one can make a dead loved one come back to life, a cosmetic surgery lawyer can help families avoid financial hardships associated with their passing.

In this instance, a family is without a 33-year-old mother providing and caring for her family. The impact of the surgery gone wrong will last for decades, if not generations.

Finding a cosmetic surgery lawyer with experience dealing with medical and surgical malpractice will help you find justice if you or someone you know is in a similar situation.

They can determine who is liable in a case and will aggressively pursue justice for you and your family. Here are some ways that they can help:

Assigning Liability

You must figure out if the surgeon is responsible (if they did something illegal or negligent), if it’s an an unlicensed recovery care facility, or a pharmacy error. A qualified cosmetic surgery lawyer determines liability and holds them accountable.

Gathering Evidence

To prove your case and win a fair judgment, you need evidence. It’s hard for victims to know where to look on top of managing the implications of the surgery and the recovery necessary. Skilled and experienced medical malpractice trial lawyers know what parties play a role in surgery and common mistakes that happen. They can use legal channels to request documentation and find out what went wrong and retain top flight medical experts to review and support the case.

Negotiating Settlements

Sometimes cosmetic surgery providers, their insurers, or other parties try to settle surgical malpractice cases. It makes sense. If they go to trial, they risk having to pay much more in damages. However, what constitutes a fair settlement for someone who dies or must live with a botched surgery for the rest of their life? How do you put a dollar figure on that?

A cosmetic surgery lawyer knows how much your injuries and your pain and suffering are worth, and they will handle all aspects of settlement negotiations while you and your family recover.

Trying Your Case in Court

If necessary, your cosmetic surgery attorney will argue your case in court in front of a judge and jury. Having courtroom experience is a must when the stakes are so high.

Costs Associated with Surgical Malpractice

How do you quantify the impact of a surgery gone wrong? On the surface, it may appear like breast augmentation or liposuction is only cosmetic, but there are significant costs associated with surgical malpractice.

Here are some of the financial impacts of bad surgery:

Lost Income

Sometimes people are traumatized or unable to go to work because of surgical malpractice. This is a huge issue for people who have to work and support a family. Someone who dies, as in the case with this mother, can’t work and make money for her children. That’s an entire lifetime of income lost. Surgical mistakes often place an increased financial burden on friends and families.

Physical Therapy

Many victims of surgical malpractice must undertake months or years of physical therapy to deal with scar tissue and range of movement issues. Sometimes insurance covers these types of visits. But for the uninsured and the underinsured, it’s a huge cost.

Corrective Surgery

Most of the time, insurance doesn’t cover cosmetic surgery procedures. They are out-of-pocket expenses. The same goes for corrective surgery to fix the mistakes of a bad surgeon or mistakes during aftercare.

Pain & Suffering

Death or injury as a result of surgical malpractice typically causes a lot of trauma to victims as well as to friends and family. Dealing with the trauma sometimes requires extensive therapies, medications, and other interventions.

These are just some of the costs associated with cosmetic surgery malpractice. A cosmetic surgery lawyer can go over your case and talk to you about the true cost of a bad surgery and help you seek appropriate damages.

Finding the Right Cosmetic Surgery Lawyers

Choosing the right attorney to represent you and your family after surgical malpractice is a big decision. Your case could take years to resolve or get to court. That’s a reality.

You need to make the right decision to increase the chances of winning your case and receiving the compensation you deserve.

Here’s what you should look for:

• Track Record: Does the firm you’re interviewing have a successful track record representing victims in similar cases?
• Judgments: Has the firm or attorney won significant judgments for victims?
• Reputation: How are they regarded in the community? Do they have a good amount of positive reviews from other clients? Are they reputable?
• Communication: Do you feel like you are in the loop and updated regarding your case?

The team at Leighton Panoff Law has spent years representing victims of medical malpractice in Florida. We offer no-obligation consultations to discuss the details of your case and the best next steps. Start now and contact us to win the justice that you and your family deserve.