You rushed to the emergency room to get immediate medical assistance. Unfortunately, your trip ended up doing more harm than good. Maybe you were forced to wait too long to actually see a doctor. Perhaps overworked and overtired hospital staff failed to properly diagnose your condition.
A mistake in the emergency room can change your life forever. You shouldn’t have to deal with the consequences on your own.
Have you or someone you love been injured because of emergency room malpractice? You may have the right to file a lawsuit against the negligent doctor or hospital. Contact Citywide Law Group to learn more about your legal rights and options. Our experienced personal injury lawyers are prepared to help you fight for the money you deserve. Call today to schedule your free consultation.
How Our Emergency Room Malpractice Lawyers Can Help
It’s never easy to deal with an unexpected injury. You may require extensive follow-up medical care, including invasive surgeries and lengthy stays at the hospital. The emotional trauma of your injury can haunt you and prevent you from enjoying your life. You may even be forced to miss work as you fight to get back on your feet. Filing a lawsuit can help to make your life a little bit easier during this difficult time.
While you can pursue compensation from a negligent medical professional on your own, it’s always best to work with an experienced attorney. California’s medical malpractice laws can be complicated. Insurance companies will stand in your way and do everything they can to deny or limit compensation.
Having an experienced attorney on your side will completely change how your case unfolds.
Here’s why you should contact Citywide Law Group for help with your emergency room malpractice case:
- Medical malpractice cases are notoriously difficult for patients to win
- Insurance companies are more likely to negotiate a fair settlement when an attorney is involved
- You may not know who to blame for your injuries…and more than one party may be at fault
- You may not know how much your emergency room malpractice case is worth; and
- The hospital will try to blame you for your own injuries.
Our Los Angeles personal injury attorneys have been handling complex medical malpractice cases for more than 15 years. We understand how a medical mistake can turn your life upside down. It’s our goal to make sure that you are fairly compensated for your injuries. Call Citywide Law Group today to learn more.
What is Medical Malpractice?
All doctors, nurses, and medical professionals have an obligation to keep patients safe. Since healthcare professionals have specialized training and skills, we trust them with our lives. California law holds these medical professionals to a heightened standard of care to ensure they do the best job they can.
Doctors and other medical professionals are required to use the “level of skill, knowledge, and care in diagnosis and treatment” that other medical practitioners “would use in the same or similar circumstances.” In other words, your doctor must apply the same level of care that is “ordinarily possessed and exercised” by other doctors.
Medical malpractice occurs when a patient is injured because a doctor or medical provider fails to provide this standard of care.
Causes of Emergency Room Malpractice
An emergency room can be an incredibly busy place. The CDC reports that more than 136.9 million Americans visit a hospital emergency room for medical help every year. In fact, it’s estimated that half of all medical care provided in the country comes from emergency departments.
This overwhelming demand for immediate medical care is making emergency rooms unsafe. Every year, thousands of patients are harmed by medical mistakes in the emergency room. What is causing these medical mistakes? A recent study conducted by The Doctors Company uncovered many of the leading causes of emergency room malpractice claims.
The most reported causes of emergency room malpractice include:
Failure to Diagnose. Failure to diagnose a patient’s injury or illness is the leading cause of emergency room malpractice in the United States, accounting for 57 percent of all cases. When a patient is misdiagnosed, it’s unlikely that they’ll receive the medical treatment and care they actually need. Many patients may even be discharged without getting medical care, at all. Without a proper diagnosis, a patient’s medical condition can get worse and put the patient’s life in serious jeopardy.
Improper Management of Treatment. Approximately 13 percent of emergency room medical malpractice cases involve situations where doctors didn’t manage a patient’s treatment properly. This can include failing to perform critical steps in a patient’s medical treatment plan.
Mistreatment. Sometimes medical care is so rushed in an emergency room that it’s not done properly. Botched medical procedures can aggravate a patient’s condition and put their health in even more serious danger.
Delayed Treatment. Emergency room waiting times are longer than ever. Some patients report waiting hours to see a doctor after arriving at the hospital. Not getting prompt and immediate medical care can result in serious complications.
Failure to Order Medication. There may be times when you need medication to stop or slow an adverse health event, such as a stroke. Long wait times, overcrowded emergency rooms, and overworked staff can stand between you and the medicine you need. Without medication, injuries can cause extensive damage or even death.
Miscommunication. Emergency departments are bustling areas of a hospital. While many doctors and nurses are assigned to this specific department, many others filter in and out throughout the course of the day. With constantly changing staff and a large number of patients to manage, communication can be critical to patient health. Unfortunately, many emergency room injuries are the result of a breakdown of communication between healthcare providers.
Failure to Follow Protocol. Most emergency departments have specific protocols in place to aid patient health and safety. When the ER is crowded, these protocols can be forgotten. The result: untrained or undertrained medical staff performing procedures they’re not qualified or permitted to do.
Failure to Monitor. Proper monitoring can be critical to a patient’s health. Some patients may not get the proper monitoring they require when visiting an emergency room. This can lead to serious health complications and adverse health events.
Compensation Available to Victims of Emergency Room Malpractice
The cost of a medical malpractice injury can be overwhelming. Medical bills can add up quickly. Time away from work during recovery can make the situation worse. Some injuries may be so severe that they cause a permanent disability, changing your life forever. Fortunately, you have the right to demand compensation when your injury is the result of medical negligence.
As a victim of emergency room negligence, you may be able to recover compensation for:
- Medical expenses
- Rehabilitation
- Medication
- Medical devices
- Nursing care
- Lost wages
- Disability, both temporary and permanent
- Reduced earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life, and more.
Contact Citywide Law Group to find out how our experienced attorneys can help you maximize your financial award. We have established close working relationships with some of the best medical experts in Los Angeles County. These experts can provide invaluable insight into your case and help us make sure you get the money you deserve. Call today to learn more.
Who Is Responsible For My Emergency Room Injury?
In California, anyone who contributes to an accident or injury can be liable for damages. Many people were probably involved in your care and treatment when you visited the emergency room. Any of these people could potentially be responsible for your injuries.
You may be able to recover compensation from the:
- Emergency room doctor
- Emergency room nurse
- Emergency room staff
- Emergency room administration
- Emergency room anesthesiologist, or
- Manufacturers of defective medical equipment or devices.
Your lawsuit could also potentially seek compensation from the hospital itself.
The only way to know who is responsible for your injury is by conducting a thorough investigation of time in the emergency room. An investigation will help to uncover the cause(s) of your injury. Once our attorneys know the cause(s), we can then identify who may be to blame. We’ll aggressively pursue compensation from anyone who played a part in causing you harm.
Need Help?
You went to the hospital for help. Instead, your life has been turned upside down. If a negligent emergency room doctor is to blame, they must be held accountable. Contact Citywide Law Group to learn about your legal rights and options. You may have the right to file a lawsuit for damages. Our personal injury attorneys can fight to make sure that you are fully compensated for your injuries.
You only have a limited amount of time to file a medical malpractice claim. In most cases, you’ll have one year from the date you discover your injury. Don’t hesitate to call our Los Angeles office for help today. We will carefully review your case and answer any questions you have.
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