Wichita man award $6.55 million in wrongful death verdict

A jury has awarded a Kansas man and his 3-year-old son $6.55 million in a wrongful death verdict after the man’s wife died hours after giving birth at a Wichita hospital.

The Wichita Eagle reports that the award is the largest wrongful death verdict ever in Kansas.  It splits the judgment between Edgar Perez and his son, Zander.

Lindsay Perez was a middle school drama teacher who died after giving birth on October 8th, 2015, at Wesley Medical Center.  The suit named the hospital, its parent company and nine physicians.  A hospital spokesman didn’t immediately return a phone message seeking comment.

Doctors diagnosed Lindsay Perez with preeclampsia, a dangerous pregnancy complication.  The lawsuit claimed the hospital failed to provide adequate care and ignored distress signs during and after the birth.

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