When seeking medical treatment, you expect the person providing you with care to help identify the problem and find a solution so you can feel better. If the medical professional treats you negligently, your health could suffer. You may sustain further injuries, or an illness could worsen.
Holding Medical Professionals Accountable
If you’ve been harmed because a doctor, nurse, surgeon, or other type of medical professional made a mistake, then you may be able to take legal action with a Pine Bluff medical malpractice lawyer from McMath Woods.
What Can Happen When Medical Malpractice Occurs?
The dangers of medical negligence can prolong treatment, allow an injury or illness to worsen, and put the patient’s life in danger. Here are some common types of medical malpractice and what can result from them.
Misdiagnosis
Patients can receive an incorrect diagnosis, which could mean that they start treating a health issue that they do not have. While they go through that treatment process, the real issue could persist and possibly worsen.
Surgical Error
When a surgical error occurs, tools or sponges may be left inside the patient, requiring corrective surgery. Other mistakes include performing a procedure on the wrong patient or operating on the wrong body part.
Anesthesia Error
Anesthesia may be used for certain operations. If the amount isn’t correct, it could result in an overdose, where the patient has difficulty waking up, or if it isn’t enough, the patient will be awake during surgery.
Premature Hospital Release
After a procedure or treatment, there should be a process before the patient is released. If they don’t go through this process, they could go home and experience complications later.
Medication Error
A patient could be given the wrong medication or incorrect dosage. The wrong medication could react to other medications they’re taking, or they may be allergic to it. If the medication dosage is too high, an overdose could occur. Not enough medication may not treat the original issue.
Lack of Informed Content
Patients need to be given information about a procedure before undergoing it. This includes the possible benefits, drawbacks, and what they can expect. Then, they provide written consent. If this didn’t occur, the patient couldn’t provide informed consent to the procedure.
Failure to Recognize Symptoms
When a patient presents certain symptoms, the medical provider treating them may not realize they are signs of a specific issue, whereas other medical providers would have recognized them. This could be potentially fatal. If a doctor fails to recognize symptoms of a heart attack or stroke and sends the patient home, the patient could possibly suffer a critical health event that could have been prevented or treated.
Our lawyers will review medical records to find out how you were treated and how you were affected by the mistake. You may have sustained a permanent injury or missed a critical window to treat an illness and are now dealing with the ramifications of treating the health issues that arose from the medical provider’s error. These mistakes should not have happened in the first place. With McMath Woods on your side, you’ll know that you have someone advocating for your rights for justice.
Why Do Medical Errors Happen?
You trust medical professionals to take care of you, so when you’re injured because of an error, you may wonder what caused this to happen. It’s possible that one of the following could have been a factor in your case:
Inexperience
The medical provider may not have had the experience necessary to treat you. This could be from not having the training or being asked to do something they normally didn’t do.
Fatigue
If a medical provider is working overtime or multiple shifts, they could be fatigued. They may not be alert or able to think clearly when administering treatment, which could lead to mistakes.
Intoxication
It could be possible that the person treating you was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and that’s what caused your injuries.
Medical errors are preventable, and the injuries that result from them can last a lifetime. When dealing with the burdens of a medical mistake, it’s important to have reliable representation. A medical malpractice lawyer from McMath Woods can help you navigate the legal process in Arkansas.
How Can a Pine Bluff Medical Malpractice Lawyer Help You?
Your medical malpractice attorney will conduct a full investigation and gather evidence to show that the following items were present in your case:
You Sustained Injuries
As a result of the failure to meet the standard of care, you were hurt.
The Injuries Caused Damage and Losses
The injuries you sustained caused you significant damage and losses.
Prove the Doctor-Patient Relationship
You need to prove that there was a doctor-patient relationship. This was when the medical provider agreed to treat you. If this didn’t happen, you likely would not have a valid case. For example, taking medical advice from someone you overheard or read online would not constitute a doctor-patient relationship.
Prove They Failed to Meet the Standard of Care
Medical providers need to treat patients in a way that meets the standard of care. Other medical professionals can provide expert testimony establishing the standard of care and if the person treating you failed to meet this standard.
Our lawyers will fight for compensation to cover your economic and noneconomic losses. Economic damages include your past and future medical expenses so you can pay your medical bills and afford the future care you’ll need. Your wages for missed days of work and the days you’ll continue to miss while you recover will also be included.
The loss of enjoyment of life, pain and suffering from your injuries, and the mental anguish of experiencing the consequences of medical malpractice are noneconomic losses that your lawyer will take into consideration when calculating your compensation.
Medical malpractice cases can become complex, so it’s best to have an experienced Pine Bluff medical malpractice lawyer help you. It’s important to seek a lawyer quickly because of the statute of limitations. In Arkansas, those injured through a medical error have two years to come forward. This time can pass quickly, and you don’t want to miss the window and be barred from taking legal action.
Reach Out to McMath Woods
A medical mistake can leave you with injuries, debt, and a long road to recovery. You deserve financial security and justice for what you’ve been through. Our law firm can help you fight for compensation and hold the negligent party accountable for their actions.
Contact us today for a free case evaluation so we can begin working on your case as quickly as possible. Your Pine Bluff medical malpractice lawyer will build a strong case for you so you can focus on your recovery.