The University Medical Center settled a lawsuit Friday with the family of David Allen Hudson for $1.5 million, the maximum punitive damages allowed for medical malpractice.
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"It was in the best interest of the family and the Commonwealth to settle," said Frank Miller, the attorney for the University.
On July 27, 2000, Hudson died two months after having surgery at University Hospital for severe burns. During surgery to attach skin grafts, Hudson stopped breathing for several minutes, suffered brain-damage, and never regained consciousness.
He was 23 years old.
Thirteen weeks later, Hudson's family chose to disconnect his feeding tubes, and he died of bacterial infection.
His family claims he was not attached to monitors that could have warned doctors he was not breathing.
Jim Daniel, the attorney for the Hudson family, believed he and the family could have pursued many other claims besides wrongful-death.
However, the family did not want to be hasseld with court prceedings, relive Hudson's death and be surrounded by a high publicity trial, Daniel said.
The family also requested an assurance from the hospital to make every effort to prevent something like this from occurring again.
Whenever there is an incident that doesn't go well, an extensive review is undertaken and the hospital always looks at ways to improve things, said Nick Carter, the Health System's chief operating officer.
He also said the hospital and its staff grieves for the family's loss.
Hudson's family will set up a foundation in his home of Franklin County with some of the money to award scholarships to high school graduates.
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