A recent wrongful death lawsuit successfully settled by the Miami wrongful death attorneys at Grossman Roth Yaffa Cohen shows how common wrongful deaths are, even under the most unlikely of circumstances. It shows as well how prevalent wrongful death lawsuits are—far more than most people assume.
This case—Nacht v. Country Club—demonstrates, too, that even in the midst of tragedy, finding answers and someone to take responsibility can still happen, with the help of skilled wrongful death attorneys.
The Broward wrongful death lawsuit arose from what should have been an ordinary—and certainly not life-ending—event: a day playing golf. On June 3, 2009, Edward Nacht and two friends played golf at the Country Club. Joined by a third friend, they went inside the Country Club for lunch. All four ordered chicken. And all four subsequently became sick, suffering from nausea, chills, diarrhea, and vomiting.
While Edward Nacht’s friends recovered, his condition—after initially remaining stable—worsened several days later, with severe symptoms that included increased respiration, tachycardia, and blurred vision.
Understandably concerned, Edward’s wife, Jane, called Broward County Fire Rescue, and Mr. Nacht was transported to the intensive care unit at Cleveland Clinic Florida. Tests determined that he had been stricken with gram-negative bacteria, causing sepsis, a serious—and at times fatal—a medical condition known in lay terms as blood poisoning.
Despite efforts by both paramedics and the Cleveland Clinic to save him, Edward Nacht died on June 8.
It wasn’t a tragic accident. Like all wrongful deaths, Edward Nacht’s fate could have been prevented, had those with a duty to take reasonable care actually taken that care. When the wrongful death attorneys at Grossman Roth investigated the case, they found what they believed were a number of egregiously negligent—and actionable—behaviors by those who had a responsibility to cause Edward Nacht no harm during his lunch at the Country Club.
The Florida wrongful death lawyers uncovered the fact that there were numerous violations regarding basic food storage and preparation; it was alleged that a sick employee was involved in the food preparation at the time in question; that there were many unsafe and unsanitary practices taking place in the kitchen and more than 21 other people had also become violently ill with exactly the same symptoms after eating at the club in the same time frame.
These troubling facts led to just one conclusion, and that is why the parties that operated the Country Club—which prepared and distributed the chicken, while denying all liability, decided to resolve this matter short of a jury trial.
The settlement—which will compensate Jane Nacht and her family for Edward’s wholly preventable death—will enable some measure of healing.
As the Miami injury attorneys at Grossman Roth know all too well, a wrongful death lawsuit can never bring back a life that has been senselessly lost. But it can help the families of victims obtain answers—and justice.
