Bob Boatman Provides Legal Perspective to Arizona’s Family on Gilbert Toddler Found Alive in Hospital Morgue

Bob Boatman Provides Legal Perspective to Arizona’s Family on Gilbert Toddler Found Alive in Hospital Morgue

Gallagher & Kennedy personal injury attorney Robert "Bob" Boatman was recently interviewed by Arizona’s Family (3TV/CBS 5) to provide legal insight regarding the potential liability of a doctor and hospital after an 18-month-old Gilbert boy was mistakenly declared dead following a near-drowning.

In the report, Arizona’s Family reporter Micaela Marshall examined the circumstances surrounding the child’s treatment at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center. According to Gilbert police, the child’s parents, responding officers, and at least one nurse alerted the attending physician to possible signs of life. Nevertheless, the toddler was pronounced dead and later transferred to the hospital morgue, where he was found breathing and with a pulse more than five hours later.

Interviewed as an experienced personal injury attorney who has handled medical negligence cases for decades, Bob discussed the potential legal consequences of the physician’s actions and the damages that may be available to the child and his parents.

They made a horrible mistake, and that mistake resulted in this baby being much more badly injured than he should have been.

Robert W. "Bob" Boatman, Shareholder

Bob explained that the child may require millions of dollars in medical care over the course of his lifetime and that his parents may also have a claim for loss of consortium. He further noted that a similar incident occurred in the Phoenix area several years ago, when another toddler was declared dead after a drowning and later found alive by medical examiner personnel. That case reportedly resulted in a multimillion-dollar settlement.

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About Our Attorney

Robert W. “Bob” Boatman is co-chair of Gallagher & Kennedy’s Plaintiffs’ Catastrophic Personal Injury & Wrongful Death Practice. For more than 40 years, Bob has pursued justice for individuals and families harmed by negligence. He has handled complex cases involving medical malpractice, defective products, motor vehicle accidents, unsafe premises, and catastrophic personal injuries and wrongful deaths.

Bob has obtained some of the largest verdicts and settlements in Arizona and is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, the American Board of Trial Advocates, and the International Society of Barristers.

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