$9.5 million settlement for 51-year-old woman who suffered catastrophic brain injury following a failed tracheostomy procedure

The woman had undergone surgery at a Minnesota hospital to repair a brain hemorrhage, which was by all accounts successful though she still required ventilatory support for breathing. About a week after the surgery, doctors in the hospital performed a procedure called a bedside percutaneous tracheostomy to allow for longer-term ventilator support while the woman recovered. During the procedure a large artery in the woman’s neck was severely damaged, leading to massive loss of blood and a global brain injury. She is left catastrophically impaired, blind and totally dependent on others for round-the-clock care. The case settled for $9.5 million.