{"package_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00960","decision_granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00960-1","petitioner_identifier":"A.T.W.","is_minor":1,"age_at_vaccination":0.164,"age_unit_raw":"years","vaccine_type":"DTaP","vaccination_date":"2013-08-20","condition_raw":"death","condition_category":"death","autism_spectrum_adjacent":0,"outcome":"denied","award_amount_usd":null,"decision_date":"2015-10-23","extraction_version":"gemini-v2","extracted_at":"2026-04-30T00:31:37.581330+00:00","number_of_concurrent_vaccines":6,"dose_number":null,"time_to_onset_days":0,"theory_of_causation":"Petitioners alleged that A.T.W., a two-month-old infant, died on August 20, 2013, following vaccinations including DTaP, Hepatitis B, Polio, HiB, Prevnar, and Rotateq. They claimed A.T.W. suffered a Table injury of encephalopathy, leading to his death. The Special Master denied entitlement, finding that the autopsy revealed no brain abnormalities and that A.T.W.'s symptoms, such as sleepiness and feeding changes, did not meet the Table's definition of encephalopathy. The Special Master also found that the timing of A.T.W.'s distress, approximately 12 hours post-vaccination, was too late for anaphylaxis. Petitioners' expert, Dr. Leroy Bernstein, opined that the multiple vaccinations were a 'possible' cause of death but did not provide a specific medical theory explaining how the vaccines caused the death, failing the first prong of the Althen test. The court upheld the Special Master's decision, agreeing that petitioners failed to prove a Table injury or causation-in-fact. The court emphasized that death alone is not a Table injury and that symptoms of death do not independently establish a Table injury. The decision was issued by Special Master Lisa Hamilton-Fieldman and reviewed by Chief Judge Patricia E. Campbell-Smith. Petitioners were represented by Lorraine J. Mansfield, and Respondent was represented by Gordon Shemin.","is_death":1,"date_of_death":"2013-08-20","petition_filed_date":"2013-12-06","case_summary":"On December 6, 2013, Eric and Taree Waterman, parents of A.T.W., a minor child, filed a petition for compensation under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. They alleged that their son, A.T.W., who was approximately two months old, died on August 20, 2013, shortly after receiving six vaccinations: DTaP, Hepatitis B, Polio, HiB, Prevnar, and Rotateq. The parents claimed that A.T.W. suffered a Table injury of encephalopathy, which led to his death. The medical records indicated that A.T.W. was healthy at birth and during his well-child check-up, though he appeared sleepy and took less than his usual amount of formula on the afternoon of vaccination. Later that evening, he was found in distress with difficulty breathing and vomit around his nose and mouth. Attempts to resuscitate him failed, and he was pronounced dead at the hospital. The autopsy report concluded that the cause of death was Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and found no abnormalities in A.T.W.'s brain. The Special Master denied entitlement, finding that the evidence did not support a diagnosis of encephalopathy or anaphylaxis, nor did it establish an off-Table causal connection between the vaccines and A.T.W.'s death. The Special Master noted that the symptoms exhibited by A.T.W. were not sufficient to meet the Table's definition of encephalopathy and that the autopsy did not reveal any brain abnormalities. The parents' expert, Dr. Leroy Bernstein, opined that the multiple vaccinations were a 'possible' cause of death but did not provide a specific medical theory. The court reviewed the Special Master's decision and found it was not arbitrary, capricious, or contrary to law, upholding the denial of the claim because the petitioners failed to prove a Table injury or causation-in-fact by a preponderance of the evidence. The court noted that death alone is not a Table injury and that symptoms of death do not independently establish a Table injury. The court affirmed the Special Master's conclusion that the loss of consciousness A.T.W. suffered prior to his death was a consequence of the dying process, not encephalopathy. The decision was issued by Special Master Lisa Hamilton-Fieldman and reviewed by Chief Judge Patricia E. Campbell-Smith. Petitioners were represented by Lorraine J. Mansfield, and Respondent was represented by Gordon Shemin.","is_minor_inferred":1,"is_pediatric_broad":1,"special_master":"Lisa D. Hamilton-Fieldman","petitioner_identifier_original":null,"caption_petitioner_name":null,"petitioner_attorney_name":"Lorraine J. Mansfield","petitioner_attorney_firm":"Law Office of Lorraine Mansfield","petitioner_attorney_location":"Las Vegas, NV","adjudicator_name":null,"caption_people_backfilled_at":null,"attorney_canonical_keys":"|lorraine-mansfield|","firm_canonical_key":"law-office-of-lorraine-mansfield","package_title":"WATERMAN et al v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","canonical_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00960","plain_text_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00960.txt","json_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00960.json","source_documents":[{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00960-0","title":"WATERMAN et al v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 6/30/2015) regarding 25 DECISION of Special Master. Signed by Special Master Lisa Hamilton-Fieldman. (jb) Copy to parties.","date_issued":"2015-07-22","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00960/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00960-0/pdf","pdf_bytes":342559,"triage_decision":"keep","triage_reason":"docketText matches keep keyword 'decision of special master'","download_status":"ok","registry_pdf_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/pdf/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00960/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00960-0"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00960-1","title":"WATERMAN et al v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"JUDGE VACCINE REPORTED OPINION re: 30 Order on Motion for Review, Judge Vaccine Order/Opinion. Signed by Chief Judge Patricia E. Campbell-Smith. (ss5) Copy to parties.","date_issued":"2015-10-23","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00960/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00960-1/pdf","pdf_bytes":163940,"triage_decision":"keep","triage_reason":"docketText matches keep keyword 'opinion'","download_status":"ok","registry_pdf_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/pdf/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00960/USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00960-1"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_13-vv-00960-2","title":"WATERMAN et al v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 11/6/15) regarding 34 DECISION of Special Master - Fees. Signed by Special Master Lisa Hamilton-Fieldman. (jb) Copy to parties.","date_issued":"2015-12-01","pdf_url":null,"pdf_bytes":null,"triage_decision":"skip","triage_reason":"fees-only decision (attorney compensation)","download_status":"skipped"}]}