Are Autopsies Necessary?
NY Medical Malpractice Video Tutorials has posted a video in which Gerry Oginski discusses the pros and cons of an autopsy.
Oginski says an autopsy can be a "double edged sword" in that it may confirm or deny the legitimacy of a wrongful death suit. It might show that the person died of natural causes and dismiss the charge of malpractice; or it can confirm that the person's death was brought on by medical malady.
In cases where religion prohibits an autopsy, Oginski says it is possible to get the medical records and "piece together" what the probable cause of death was. He says that in the state of New York, it only has to be proved that a doctor's or hospital's treatment "more likely than not" caused the person's death...absolute proof is not necessarily needed. The same is true in Alabama - we must show the death was more likely than not the result of the malpractice.
