Has Anyone Heard Of A Lawyer Deciding To Retire And Walk Away From A Very Strong Wrongful Death Case Just Before The Statute Of Limitations Is Up?

My daughter died during surgery after she was given a medication that was clearly noted in her chart as having caused her to have to be revived during a prior surgery. There was also a note on the outside of the chart stating she had a "near fatal" reaction to the medication so it was not to be used. I immediately found a lawyer who assured my family from day one we had a very strong wrongful death due to malpractice lawsuit, and repeatedly told us he had a "smoking gun" against the hospital, there was nothing to worry about, that it was an open and shut case they couldn't deny and we were all going to be rich. Then 2 weeks before the statute of limitations on the case ran out he tells me he's retiring so he just can't continue with the case, but he'll hand off everything he has to a new lawyer when we find one. I called every lawyer in our area and several further away, but they all said the same thing-- that Missouri was very strict wen it came to the statute of limitations and that 2 weeks wasn't enough time to become familiar with the facts and prepare. My family has been left devastated and bitter toward lawyers and the medical establishment, and I understand why, but I hate that the memory of my daughter is blurred by so many questions and feelings of frustration. Does it make sense to anyone that a lawyer so convinced of a big settlement would just walk away so close to the end? I didn't know how to fight at that point, I was overwhelmed and out of my depth wen it came to legal matters, but what can you do under those circumstances with the clock ticking? My other children are sure the hospital paid our lawyer off, but is that something that happens in real life or have we all watched too many tv dramas? Is there anything I could have or should have done to make the hospital acknowledge their mistake? My grief and my guilt are haunting me