A teenager with the initials R.F. went to Phelps Memorial Hospital in Sleepy Hollow, New York for a routine endoscopy. The pretty 19-year-old was just an average teenager who was enjoying her first year of college and her friends. In high school, she participated on the school cheer squad and attended Girl Scout meetings.

The freshman attended Rockland Community College where she took classes in liberal arts. She was looking into a career in social work. R.F.'s parents say she used to be vivacious in personality. Then, one day she went to the hospital to get an endoscopy because of stomach pain. The doctors assured the teenager and her family that this was a routine procedure and she would be fine.

Yet R.F. never spoke again after going under the anesthesia that day. The New York Daily News reports that G.F. suffered severe brain damage left her in a vegetative state. She is unable to communicate with her parents, who are devastated by the loss. The parents are filing a lawsuit alleging that the hospital and its doctors were careless and negligent. The parents believe that the physicians did not administer the anesthesia properly, and this is what left their daughter in an unresponsive state.

Now, R.F. is confined to a bed and receives long-term care. She cannot walk or talk. R.F.'s father is devastated by the loss, and told the New York Daily News that he feels like he walked into the Twilight Zone. He says that the hospital stole his daughter away from him. In an interview, he explained how he drove his daughter to the hospital back in January for her endoscopy using the Hyundai sedan that he had just purchased for her.

He says he remembers his daughter remarking that she was hungry as he dropped her off at the hospital. He told her once she was done with the procedure he would take her out to dinner to get anything she wanted. The family is seeking damages for both compensatory purpose and punitive purposes. Because R.F. will probably be in long-term care for years, the family may be able to secure a large settlement that will cover all the future expenses of her care. These parents also want a substantial amount of money that will compensate them for the pain and suffering they have endured.

Lawsuits like this one are about more than money; they are about keeping a medical facility accountable for their actions. When a doctor is not able to perform a routine procedure and there are devastating results, then that physician needs to be punished. Life-altering mistakes should not be tolerated in the hospitals. In this case, the parents already assess that R.F.'s care expenses have exceeded $1 million. They are hoping for a multi-million dollar settlement for their pain.

The suit which will be filed in the Westchester Supreme Court alleges that doctors incorrectly administered anesthesia and did not consider the patient's height and weight when doing so. They also improperly monitored her vital signs and inflated her abdomen excessively. Allegedly these actions caused the young girl to go into cardiac arrest. The doctors then removed her breathing tube prematurely, causing a lack of oxygen to the brain which resulted in brain damage. If you have been injured in a medical procedure or if your loved one was sent into a vegetative state due to a medical mistake, then you need to hold the hospital accountable by filing a lawsuit as well. Talk to a local medical malpractice lawyer for more information!