The Smithson Trial: The Operating Room Versus the Courtroom

Each reader of this story is required to become a member of the jury in a wrongful death action brought by the parents of the deceased. The boy's death that resulted in this law suit was a high school senior and an up and coming basketball star. The boy was brought to the local community hospital by his father, and the father expected to take his son home after just a few hours, but the boy never left the hospital alive; he expired during an emergency surgical procedure. The reader will hear the testimonies of the defendants as they respond to the questions posed by the prosecuting attorney, as well as the cross examinations by the defendants' attorneys. They will also be given some insight into the biases and pre-conceived notions that some of the other jury members bring to the trial. Finally, the reader will be asked to arrive at a verdict, and determine the financial awards, if any, to be given to the plaintiffs.