I always question these claims from people that say they can’t work at all due to their condition. We have all seen many people who work through their condition. And while I would not want to experience continual jaw pain I can not see how jaw pain prevents her from doing any and all work.
I’m not questioning the verdict, from the little we have in the article it sounds like it may be justified, but I question the amounts and how they were reached. This sounds a little too much like litigation lottery to me.
After reading this article and others about her case, I fail to see how she can’t work. A lot of people with chronic pain work. I’m one of them. (Broken neck in 1981 never healed “right”. I don’t know if broken necks ever do. The pain brings me to my knees some days, but at least I wasn’t paralyzed and I’m thankful to be able to live a semi-normal life.)
As for the inability to ever eat solid food again… I cannot fathom. Something a lot of us probably take for granted – enjoying the crisp crunch of an apple; the firm, succulent texture of a good steak. Chalky, bland protein shakes probably get really friggin boring.
Is that worth $14.8 mil? I don’t know. To her, knowing she’ll never have the satisfying pleasure of chewing food again, perhaps that amount is fair. But to me, I think it leans toward excessive. I also feel like she should be able to have a job of some sort. She’d probably feel better, less depressed, or like her life had purpose if she worked…
Agree that it’s hard to place a value on eating, permanent damage, etc. That’s why you “get what you can get”. Right? I don’t like it, nor advocate it and agree that working in a satisfying job can alleviate a lot of aches. At the same time, if the Dentist was over his head on this one, she’s going to be miserable for a long time due to his mistake.
How much of her injury is due to her “sledding accident” and how much due to dental malpractice? Did the dentist make a medical error or simply oversell what he/she could do to fix the patient’s problem.
This woman is 29 years old. What’s the statute of limitations for being called a “former cheerleader”?
It doesn’t really matter. Dental malpractice doesn’t necessarily require a medical mistake, although it often does. If a patient is not told of the ABC’s of a treatment (alternatives, benefits and complications) then they have no way of making an informed decision. If her oral surgeon said there were no risks or complications and only benefits, then she couldn’t know that getting the treatment could lead to this outcome, and had she known, she might have sought a more conservative treatment without these risks.
Otherwise, what’s to stop a surgeon from selling and operating on every single patient and getting rich when the surgery isn’t required? If she had been told of the risk and possible complications, she would likely not have gone through with it. But it appears the surgeon wanted to be a hero and way overpromised what he was capable of, and this led to her mistake of treating this through surgery by this surgeon.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Kimberly_Kallestad/856807263
story
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/tools/story_pf.asp?ID=257674
article w pics
http://www.autoreviewonline.com/local/story.asp?ID=255077&page=all
I always question these claims from people that say they can’t work at all due to their condition. We have all seen many people who work through their condition. And while I would not want to experience continual jaw pain I can not see how jaw pain prevents her from doing any and all work.
I’m not questioning the verdict, from the little we have in the article it sounds like it may be justified, but I question the amounts and how they were reached. This sounds a little too much like litigation lottery to me.
Ah come on lastbat, this ISN’T about the money, now is it?
I want to see before and after pictures of this chick.
I like a chick who refers to other women as chicks. Remember, a big part of the workplace experience is ‘chewing the fat’.
Rah, rah, sis boom jaw.
After reading this article and others about her case, I fail to see how she can’t work. A lot of people with chronic pain work. I’m one of them. (Broken neck in 1981 never healed “right”. I don’t know if broken necks ever do. The pain brings me to my knees some days, but at least I wasn’t paralyzed and I’m thankful to be able to live a semi-normal life.)
As for the inability to ever eat solid food again… I cannot fathom. Something a lot of us probably take for granted – enjoying the crisp crunch of an apple; the firm, succulent texture of a good steak. Chalky, bland protein shakes probably get really friggin boring.
Is that worth $14.8 mil? I don’t know. To her, knowing she’ll never have the satisfying pleasure of chewing food again, perhaps that amount is fair. But to me, I think it leans toward excessive. I also feel like she should be able to have a job of some sort. She’d probably feel better, less depressed, or like her life had purpose if she worked…
Agree that it’s hard to place a value on eating, permanent damage, etc. That’s why you “get what you can get”. Right? I don’t like it, nor advocate it and agree that working in a satisfying job can alleviate a lot of aches. At the same time, if the Dentist was over his head on this one, she’s going to be miserable for a long time due to his mistake.
How much of her injury is due to her “sledding accident” and how much due to dental malpractice? Did the dentist make a medical error or simply oversell what he/she could do to fix the patient’s problem.
This woman is 29 years old. What’s the statute of limitations for being called a “former cheerleader”?
It doesn’t really matter. Dental malpractice doesn’t necessarily require a medical mistake, although it often does. If a patient is not told of the ABC’s of a treatment (alternatives, benefits and complications) then they have no way of making an informed decision. If her oral surgeon said there were no risks or complications and only benefits, then she couldn’t know that getting the treatment could lead to this outcome, and had she known, she might have sought a more conservative treatment without these risks.
Otherwise, what’s to stop a surgeon from selling and operating on every single patient and getting rich when the surgery isn’t required? If she had been told of the risk and possible complications, she would likely not have gone through with it. But it appears the surgeon wanted to be a hero and way overpromised what he was capable of, and this led to her mistake of treating this through surgery by this surgeon.
This is a permanent description. It should be included on census forms as an alternative race.