If you follow the news, you may recall the story of a former Tulsa oral surgeon who surrendered his dental license after it was discovered he potentially exposed as many as 5,000 patients to dangerous viruses, including HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C.
In what gained considerable media coverage, the story of Scott Harrington helped many people understand the meaning of medical negligence, when medical professionals fail to provide an appropriate standard of care. According to officials, Harrington’s substandard safety and sanitation protocol, and his failures to comply with universal precautions, made him a menace to public safety. It was discovered by investigators that Harrington’s delegation of all decisions relating to infection control, sanitation, and other important aspects of his dental practice to unlicensed dental assistants was an act of gross negligence.
For local residents who were unfortunate enough to have been treated by Scott Harrington or treated by employees of his dental practice, news of the possible exposure to dangerous infections caused substantial, and warranted, concern. In 2013, it was confirmed that one patient contracted hepatitis C during a visit to Harrington’s dental practice – the first ever documented case of hepatitis C patient-to-patient transmission in dentistry in the U.S.
Our legal team at Richardson Richardson Boudreaux, PLLC represented a victim of Harrington’s medical negligence. Pammie, whose story you can view below, had visited Harrington’s office for a dental procedure, only to later discover that he was under investigation for spreading blood borne pathogens to unwitting patients. Upon having her blood tested, she discovered that she had contracted hepatitis C.
Our Tulsa personal injury lawyers are happy to have helped Pammie in her fight for the compensation she rightfully deserved following such an egregious act of negligence. Our entire firm takes pride in securing positive results for our clients, not only because it essential to helping them secure the recompense needed to cover their damages, medical treatment, and future needs, but also because it enables victims to hold wrongdoer’s accountable for causing preventable harm and helps prevent similar travesties from happening in the future.
If you have questions about dental malpractice or medical negligence, contact our firm to speak with a member of our legal team.