Plaintiff’s expert witness opens testimony

A retired emergency room doctor opened testimony this afternoon in an Oconee County civil court trial to decide whether medical personnel failed to diagnose what was wrong with a 67-year old woman who lost sight in her left eye. Court officers predict the trial could last into the early part next week. The plaintiff is Oconee resident Camille Hess. The defendants are Dr. Miles McGuff of Blue Ridge Emergency Physicians and the Oconee Medical Center at Seneca. First witness called by Hess’s attorney, Larry Brandt, was Dr. Richard Serra of Durham, North Carolina. At the plaintiff’s request, Serra reviewed the medical records of Hess’s treatment on June 6, 2014 and formed the opinion that McGuff did not meet the standard of care. Defense attorneys, however, disagree and contend the McGuff’s assessment of Hess was reasonable. As hospital attorney Clark Price put it to the jury: “Sometimes bad things happen to good people (the plaintiff) and no one is responsible.”  According to what the jury has been told, expert witnesses such as Serra are likely to be many during the trial, offered by both sides.