Comments on: Initiative won’t bring back dead kids

By: Liz Reyna

Liz Reyna — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 18:27:12 +0000

As I understand it, the driver had received multiple prescriptions from various Kaiser (or other) doctors and was WAY over-medicated. She was not safe to drive as a result… whether or not she was also drinking at the time. One of the provisions of Prop 46 is a database of prescriptions. So a doctor who is asked for a powerful medication can check the database to make sure this patient is not “shopping” for too many meds. A person WAY overmedicated is a danger to all of us…and was the main reason the Pack children died.

By: grandma 62

grandma 62 — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 15:31:51 +0000

I just read Mr. Pack’s tragic story as I’ve been curious about his statement on tv that he “lost 2 children to preventable medical errors”. How is a drunk driver hitting a group of people on the sidewalk a “preventable medical error”? The driver was taking prescription pain meds but was also drinking vodka prior to hitting the group. Had this bill been in affect at the time this crime would probably still have happened. What does this crime have to do with random drug testing of doctors? Or even of raising malpractice awards? If these propositions would just cover one issue at a time it would make it easier for voters to make an educated choice on which way to vote. There are pros and cons to each part of the proposition and lumping them together makes it difficult to decide.

By: Liz

Liz — Sat, 04 Oct 2014 06:32:52 +0000

The Packs deserved millions of dollars, not $250,000. Not that the money would bring their children back, but it would be more proportionate to their loss. And with millions of dollars at stake, the medical establishment would provide better care. My husband suffered an anoxic brain injury as a result of a series of shocking medical errors. He was a brilliant man, a computer professional, who lived for nine years after the injury with severe memory problems that made him, not only unable to work, but more like a child than an adult. He needed constant care for his own safety. Because he was in his late 50s when the injury occurred, the “economic” part of our legal settlement was relatively small, and $250,000 did not begin to compensate him for the loss of his once-powerful intellect. In any area of the law EXCEPT medical malpractice, compensations are more fair. Just recently I read in the paper that the woman who was beaten up by a cop on the freeway received a settlement of well over $1 million. I am happy she received the award, she fully deserves it. But she had no lasting physical injury from the incident. The beating was shocking and unjustified, but it was over within minutes. My husband’s suffering (and mine) went on for many, many years. Why should the medical establishment not be fully responsible for their actions and/or omissions — like everyone else?

By: Laith's Mom

Laith's Mom — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 20:19:28 +0000

You’re right. No amount of money will ever bring back my son. But do we just sit back and let hospitals/doctors play Russian roulette with our loved one’s lives? You know very well you can’t even fight a simple infraction, let alone a medical malpractice case with such a egregious cap in place. This fight is about accountability and preventing tragedies. Unfortunately, just as doctors and insurance companies need to make money, so do attorneys fighting for answers. And I’m not a lawyer, I’m
a grieving mother who lost faith in the medical community, along with my firstborn son.

By: leo

leo — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 22:26:54 +0000

In reply to Eric Andrist. bet you are a lawyer. LOL

By: Jerrold

Jerrold — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 09:59:15 +0000

Joseph, would you be apposed to the act if it didn’t raise the cap on malpractice lawsuits? What do you think is the acceptable limit for medical malpractice lawsuits should be?

By: Rex the Wonderdog!

Rex the Wonderdog! — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 22:53:49 +0000

Will never happen #7 ^^^^^

By: CalNews.com Editor

CalNews.com Editor — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 17:18:19 +0000

Doctors who practice medicine while under the influence of drugs should be punished severely. The California Medical Association’s shameless efforts in Sacramento have shielded bad doctors for years. Doctors, police officers, and legislators should all have to submit to regular drug tests. The public deserves to know the truth.

By: Steve Mehlman

Steve Mehlman — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 15:38:57 +0000

By this “logic,” maybe we should repeal the Civil Rights Act because it didn’t bring Medgar Evers back.

Perhaps if the business community use the energy they put into so-called “tort reform” into actually making their products and services safer for American consumers, there would be fewer lawsuits in the first place.

By: Rex the Wonderdog!

Rex the Wonderdog! — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 06:39:52 +0000

In fact, the culprit was a 46-year-old nanny, Jimena Barreto, who was behind the wheel of her gold 1979 Mercedes when she careened across two lanes of a Danville street onto a sidewalk where she struck defenseless Troy and Alana.
I was living there in Danville when this happened and remember it well, sad.