![The family of a Marine veteran have reached a settlement with hospital for his wrongful death. [Image credit: Sgt.Jimmy Shea/Wikimedia Commons]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2017/10/29/660x290/b_502x220x82/the-family-of-a-marine-veteran-have-reached-a-settlement-with-a-va-hospital-for-his-wrongful-deathimage-creditsgtjimmy-sheawikimedia-commons_1660953.jpg "The family of a Marine veteran have reached a settlement with hospital for his wrongful death. [Image credit: Sgt.Jimmy Shea/Wikimedia Commons]")
The government and the family of a veteran Marine who died in a Veteran's Association(VA) hospital in Wisconsin in 2014, have reached a $2.3 million settlement for his death, Fox News reported.
Jason Simcakoski, who was honorably discharged from the US Marines in 2002, had gone to seek treatment for a variety of conditions at the Tomah Wisconsin Veteran Affairs Medical Center, between 2006-2014.
In early August 2014, Tomah's doctors recommended that Simcakoski should be admitted to the facility for a short stay, for treatment, care, and observation.
A few weeks later, during a routine visit, the family of the veteran Marine found him so heavily sedated, that he could not speak or comprehend when spoken to.
That same day, he became unresponsive and the life-saving measures that were undertaken by the hospital failed to revive him. He passed away on 30 August 2014.
Inspector General's report
A probe into Simcakoski's death revealed that he succumbed to a drug toxicity overdose administered by Tomah's VA doctors, according to a report by the Inspector General that was released in 2015.
The report also discovered that the Wisconsin VA facility was so notorious for prescribing extra doses of opioid painkillers, that it had earned the nickname 'candy land,' from veteran's who sought treatment at the hospital.
Following the release of the report, the facility's chief of staff, Dr. David Houlihan, was fired and agreed to surrender his medical license permanently this January.
The same fate met Tomah's Head of the Va Hospital at the time, Mario DeSanctis, who then moved to court to contest the sacking in 2015. The case led to Tomah allowing him to resign instead.
USA Today reported earlier this month, that DeSanctis and his lawyer were paid $163,000.
Settlement details
According to court papers filed on Friday, Fox News reported that Simcakoski's family had agreed to a $2.3 million settlement from the government for his death. $1.65 million will be paid upfront to the widow and daughter of the late Marine, who died at the young age of 35.
$695,000 will be released as annuities to Simcakoski's wife, Heather, and daughter, Anaya. The balance will be paid to the widow's lawyers to cover legal fees.
On Wednesday, a hearing will be held before a Federal Judge, who will then decide on whether to approve the settlement.
The government, through its lawyers, has stressed that the payment is not an admission of guilt on its part, but a way to avoid high legal fees and reduce the risk of more lawsuits.
