A lawsuit has been filed by the mother of a murdered sex worker from New Jersey against a doctor who took her in the night of her disappearance. The wrongful death suit alleges that the doctor negligently caused the woman’s death by giving her drugs to calm her down and then releasing her to her driver.
The woman was shortly thereafter abducted and murdered by a man known as “the Gilgo Beach/Long Island serial killer.” The woman’s disappearance led to the discovery of 10 bodies nearby, and her corpse was finally found in December 2011. The doctor in question has since moved to Florida.
Wrongful death cases stem from the negligence or recklessness of a person or entity entrusted with the care of another, leading to a person’s death. In this case, the woman’s mother argues that the doctor was entrusted with her daughter’s care and acted negligently towards her by giving her drugs and releasing her. In this way, he allegedly contributed to her death by putting her in a position to be harmed by the serial killer.
Wrongful deaths are especially painful for the family members of those killed. Those who are lost due to the negligence or recklessness of another can never be replaced. It is especially hard in cases such as this one, where a person died because another person allegedly placed her in a position to be harmed by another. This is because the family must live with the belief that had the doctor met his standard of care, the victim would still be alive.
Anyone who has lost a family member due to negligence is entitled to an appropriate compensation. In addition to obtaining monetary compensation from the defendant for things such as medical bills, New Jersey allows families to recover damages for the pain and suffering involved in connection the victims’ deaths. Families of negligence victims are entitled to a just and fair outcome.
Source: Gothamist.com, “Doctor drugged sex worker and let her loose to die, claims Gilgo Beach lawsuit,” Garth Johnston, Nov. 16, 2012.