Doctor and Methadone Clinic Settle in Auto Fatality

NEWFANE, VT - A Vermont man having been treated at a Methadone clinic in Massachusetts had high levels of methadone in his system when he had a head-on auto accident, which killed an 8-year-old girl, according to autopsy results as reported by the Barre Montpelier TimeArgus.com. Lawyers representing the girl's estate claimed the clinic and his personal physician failed to adequately monitor the man, settling the lawsuit for $1.8 million.

The news article states that girl's family sued:

"...Community Health Care Inc., which is based in Chicopee, Mass., and [the doctor] of Putney because of their care of [the man], who had a long history of heroin abuse and erratic driving, according to the suit filed in 2007 in Windham Superior Court. The case against [the doctor], who prescribed anti-anxiety medication for [the man] while he was on methadone, settled out of court in January, according to court records."

Read the full article here: Vermont methadone settlement.