Trusting your medical provider to treat your injuries or illness and restore your health is common. We rarely expect those in charge of our healthcare to cause harm. But medical professionals can make mistakes that can have life-changing consequences. If you’ve been harmed because of a doctor, nurse, or other healthcare provider, you can hold them accountable and get compensation for your injuries with a King of Prussia medical malpractice lawyer by your side.
The citizens of King of Prussia deserve professionals who will protect their rights and act in their best interests. Shrager, Sachs, & Blanco has experienced lawyers who will do this. We’re prepared to gather and analyze the evidence and consult with experts to prove your injuries were preventable.
Medical malpractice claims can be complex to prove. As we look at your case, we’re going to look for evidence that proves the following:
- A doctor-patient relationship existed.
- The doctor acted negligently.
- Their error resulted in injury.
- You suffered injuries and losses because of the error.
Our firm will have expert testimony from other healthcare professionals to give insight as to how the negligent doctor treated you and why their actions or inactions put your health in jeopardy. We’ll also find out what led up to your injury. Let’s take a look at how negligent healthcare providers can make medical errors.
How Do Medical Mistakes Occur?
As our lawyer in King of Prussia analyzes your injuries, we’ll also look for what allowed this mistake to occur. Medical errors may happen because of the following:
- Fatigue. Medical providers may work long hours and could be fatigued while they’re on the clock. If a doctor or nurse doesn’t have enough rest because they’re overworked, they could possibly make a mistake that injures a patient.
- Administrative Errors. Issues within the facility could mean miscommunication about information. These could also be referred to as technical errors—but can still have severe consequences. If the error is with the patient’s record, someone could fill in the wrong person’s file, or put incorrect information on the file.
- Lack of Safety Protocols. Hospitals need to have protocols and procedures to keep the facility clean and to protect patients receiving care from any mistakes. If hospitals don’t have these in place, patients could be sent home before they’re ready or not given follow-up appointments to evaluate their health after recovering from an illness or undergoing surgery.
When one of the above bullet points are present in a health care facility, patients are at risk for medical negligence. You may recognize one of the following examples of medical malpractice as what happened to you or your loved one:
- Diagnosis Errors. If your doctor looks at your symptoms, they could diagnose you with the wrong ailment or not arrive at a diagnosis. When they don’t know what’s wrong with you, then you cannot start treating the issue. The injury or illness that’s bothering you can continue to persist, which can lead to it progressing to something worse.
- Emergency Room Errors. When people go to the E.R., patients are usually seen on a first-come-first-served basis. However, if someone is presenting symptoms of a serious health issue like a heart attack or stroke, they need to be seen immediately. Doctors need to recognize these symptoms and start treatment. If they don’t recognize those symptoms, the person may suffer the critical health event that could cause severe consequences or death.
- Surgical Errors. Surgical teams can make mistakes like performing the surgery on the wrong limb or wrong patient, or leaving medical tools and gauze inside the patient. A surgical error can cause a lot of pain and will likely need another surgery to correct the issue.
- Medication Errors. According to the FDA, receiving the wrong medication or the wrong dosage of medication could result in death, life-threatening situations, hospitalizations, and disability. If a nurse is fatigued or there is a mistake with their patient’s chart, a medication error could occur.
- Birth Injuries. When a woman is having a baby, she needs care during pregnancy, the delivery, and after. Unfortunately, if her healthcare providers are negligent during these steps, harm could come to her or the baby. Birth injuries could cause the baby to have permanent disabilities, like cerebral palsy, or suffer injuries during the birthing process that will need immediate treatment, like a brachial plexus injury.
- Infection. If a hospital doesn’t take measures to prevent illnesses from spreading or keep their facility clean, patients can contract infections. For those who have compromised immune systems, like newborns and elderly people, infections can be deadly.
Our medical malpractice attorneys have handled cases like those above in the past. We understand how uncertain this time can be. We’re here to help you recover from the consequences of these mistakes. Sometimes, you may have a longer recovery process, but you still are able to make a full recovery. In other cases, you may only be able to recover up to a point. Let’s look into catastrophic injuries and how we can help.
Medical Malpractice Can Result in Catastrophic Injuries
A surgeon could sever nerves or make an incorrect incision, or a patient could receive medication they’re allergic to—these are instances where the injuries could be catastrophic. A catastrophic injury means the individual will no longer be able to return to work. They’ll have to go through major adjustments in their life, such as:
- Go through additional medical treatment like surgeries or physical therapy
- Require the assistance of medical equipment
- Relearn daily tasks
- Learn to live with their injury
These adjustments are not easy and can take an emotional toll on the individual. If others depend on them financially, they may worry about how they’re going to pay bills, keep up with living expenses, and continue to provide for their family. That’s where we come in.
Shrager, Sachs, & Blanco Will Fight for You
We’ll calculate the economic losses and take your noneconomic losses into account. Your compensation will reflect your lost wages, loss of earnings, medical expenses, pain and suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life. While the legal process can be overwhelming, we’ll be at your side every step of the way, so you always are up to date on the status of your case.
It’s important to act quickly so you can get your compensation as soon as possible. Contact our office today to set up an obligation-free consultation. You’ll sit down with one of our skilled King of Prussia medical malpractice lawyers, and we’ll review your case and discuss your options so you can find the best way to proceed.
