Steven Olsen of California is blind and brain-damaged after an HMO refused to give him an $800 CAT scan when he was two years old. He had fallen on a stick in the woods while hiking. In 2001, Steven had 74 doctor visits, 164 physical and speech therapy appointments and three trips to the emergency room. His mother, Kathy, had to leave her job to care for him. He must be watched constantly. The jury awarded Steven $7.1 million in non-economic compensation for his doomed life of darkness, loneliness, pain, physical retardation and around-the-clock supervision. However, the judge was forced to reduce the amount to $250,000 because of a law capping non-economic damages in the state.
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