Neil Armstrong’s Wrongful Death Case – What happened to the first man on the moon?
Neil Armstrong is a renowned American, a loved figure in our country’s history. Upon becoming the first man to step foot on the moon, he famously delivered the line: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Armstrong graduated from Purdue University with a degree in aeronautical engineering. He served in the Korean War as a pilot and joined NASA some time after. His first space flight occurred in 1966, and on July 20, 1969, he and Buzz Aldrin became the first people to land on the moon. For his work, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Nixon, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor from President Carter, and a Congressional Gold Medal from President Obama. Armstrong retired from NASA in 1971. Afterwards, he became a professor in the University of Cincinnati’s Department of Aerospace Engineering.
Two years ago, a whistleblower provided the New York Times with 93 pages of documents detailing the medical malpractice lawsuit that Armstrong’s family filed against Mercy Health-Fairfield Hospital, where Armstrong died.
Armstrong underwent coronary bypass surgery on August 7th, 2012. He passed away 18 days later due to complications arising from the surgery.
After the surgery, Armstrong appeared to be recovering, so his nurses removed the wires connected to his pacemaker, causing a cardiac tear and internal bleeding. Armstrong was taken to the catheterization laboratory. The doctors began operating some time after, but it was too late.
The family settled for $6 million in 2014. The hospital, while denying any wrongdoing, agreed to pay as long as the family never spoke about the suit, out of fear of bad publicity.
Armstrong’s family buried him at sea on September 14, 2012.
The State of Ohio does not have tort limits, which is why the settlement was so large.
Proving a Wrongful Death Case
Proving your wrongful death case is difficult. It is negligence, so your attorney must prove that a duty existed, that the duty was breached, and that the breach caused the harm. Here, it looks like that’s what happened with the caveat that the hospital did not admit any wrongdoing, merely wished to avoid publicity.
If you’ve been injured due to negligence or wrongful conduct, contact us today at (202)-955-4529 for a free case evaluation. The experienced attorneys at Cohen & Cohen have settled over 10,000 cases in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, and can help get you the compensation you deserve.
