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Los Angeles Never Events Attorney

Los Angeles Never Events AttorneyYou trust that your doctor will provide the very best medical care possible. They’re highly trained and specialized experts, so there should be no reason that preventable mistakes happen. Unfortunately, preventable medical mistakes – known as never events – happen every day.

Have you or someone you love been injured because of a never event at a Los Angeles hospital? Do not hesitate to contact Citywide Law Group for immediate legal assistance. Never events are never supposed to happen. When they do, you have the right to hold negligent medical professionals responsible for any harm you suffer. Our attorneys are here to help you fight for the compensation you deserve. Call our office to schedule your free consultation today.

What is a Never Event?

Never events are defined as “serious, preventable, and costly medical errors.” These are medical mistakes that no patient should ever have to experience. An adverse health event may be classified as a never even if it causes:

  • Severe temporary harm
  • Permanent harm
  • Intervention required to sustain life, or
  • Death.

Unfortunately, more than 4,000 never events are reported every year. A staggering 71 percent of reported never events are fatal. That’s approximately 8 preventable deaths every day.

List of Never Events

There are currently 29 adverse health events that are classified as never events, divided into 7 distinct categories.

Surgical Events

  • Surgery or procedure on the wrong body part
  • Surgery or procedure on the wrong patient
  • Wrong surgery or procedure performed on the patient
  • Leaving a foreign object in a patient after surgery
  • Operative or postoperative anesthesia complications

Product or Device Events

  • Death or serious injury associated with contaminated drugs or devices provided by the hospital
  • Death or serious injury associated with the use or function of a medical device
  • Intravascular air embolism while under hospital care

Patient Protection Events

  • Discharge of an incompetent patient
  • Patient disappearance
  • Patient suicide or self-harm

Care Management Events

  • Medication error (e.g, administering the wrong drug or wrong dose, wrong route of administration, wrong patient, etc.)
  • Unsafe administration fo blood products
  • Maternal death or serious injury in labor or delivery classified as low-risk
  • Fetal death or serious injury in labor or delivery classified as low-risk
  • Falls
  • Pressure ulcers
  • Losing an invaluable and irreplaceable biological specimen
  • Failure in communication

Environmental Events

  • Electric shock
  • Lines designed for oxygen or gas provide patient with no gas, the wrong gas, or toxic gas
  • Burns
  • Injuries caused by restraints or bedrails

Radiologic Events

  • Bringing a metallic object into the MRI area

Criminal Events

  • Care ordered or provided by someone pretending to be a healthcare professional
  • Patient abduction
  • Sexual abuse or assault
  • Physical assault/battery

Under ordinary circumstances, these types of issues should be preventable. They should never occur if a doctor or healthcare professional exercises an appropriate standard of care.

Most Common Never Events

Some never events happen more frequently than others. One study of never events reported between 2016 and 2017 revealed that the most common never events include:

  • Leaving a foreign object in the body (14.4 percent)
  • Fall (14.1 percent)
  • Wrong patient/wrong procedure/wrong site (11.8 percent)
  • Suicide (11 percent), and
  • Delayed treatment (8.1 percent).

Have you experienced a never event at a Los Angeles hospital? You may have the right to file a personal injury lawsuit. Call Citywide Law Group today to learn more.

What is a Doctor’s Standard of Care?

Never events are a type of medical malpractice. They happen because doctors or other healthcare professionals are negligent. Negligence occurs when the doctor or medical professional “fails to use the level of skill, knowledge, and care in diagnosis and treatment that other reasonably careful medical professionals would use in the same or similar circumstances.”

Would another reasonably careful doctor have made the same mistake in similar circumstances? If not, your doctor has likely breached the standard of care. A breach of the standard of care is negligence. Negligence can be used as the grounds for a personal injury lawsuit to recover compensation.

Who Is Responsible For a Never Event?

When you’re in the hospital, several different people will be involved in your care in some way. In California, fault and liability can extend to anyone who contributes to an accident or injury. This includes anyone who is directly or indirectly involved in your medical care.

You may have a valid never event claim against:

  • Doctors
  • Nurses
  • Physician’s assistants
  • Hospital staff members
  • Anesthesiologists
  • Hospital security, and
  • Hospital administration.

The best way to find out who may be to blame for your injury is to contact an attorney. At Citywide Law Group, our lawyers will conduct a thorough investigation of your medical treatment. This will help us to determine what caused your injury. Once we’ve established the cause(s), we can then identify who may be at fault. We’ll demand compensation from anyone who played a role in causing you harm.

Compensation Available to Victims of Hospital Never Events

Never events tend to have devastating consequences for patients and their families. When a never event is not fatal, patients often experience incredibly painful and debilitating injuries that affect them for the rest of their lives. These injuries can be incredibly expensive to manage.

Fortunately, victims of never event malpractice can file a lawsuit to recover compensation. Money won’t turn back time and prevent the accident from happening, but it can help to make a patient’s life a little bit easier during this difficult time.

When you file a never event malpractice lawsuit, you may be able to recover compensation for:

  • Medical expenses
  • Nursing care
  • Rehabilitation
  • Medication
  • Lost wages
  • Disability
  • Reduced earning capacity
  • Pain and suffering
  • Emotional trauma
  • Disfigurement
  • Loss of enjoyment of life, and more.

When a patient dies because of a never event, families may also have the right to file a wrongful death lawsuit for compensation.

Contact our Los Angeles never event injury lawyers to find out how we can help you maximize your financial award. Your first consultation is free, so don’t hesitate to call for help now.

Statute of Limitations for Never Event Claims

Never events are a type of medical malpractice claim. This means that the statute of limitations for medical negligence matters will apply to your never event case. You must file your personal injury claim within one year of discovering the relationship between your injury and the never event.

You won’t be able to get the money you deserve if you file to file your claim on time. Preserve your legal claim by contacting a medical malpractice attorney as soon you realize that you’ve been injured.

How Our Never Event Malpractice Attorneys Can Help

Medical malpractice cases can be particularly challenging. Hiring an experienced attorney to handle your case will put you in the best position to recover the money you deserve.

Here’s how our Los Angeles never event attorneys can help after you’ve been injured because of a negligent medical professional.

We’ll Protect You From Insurance Companies. Insurance companies will be quick to protect doctors and deny responsibility for your injuries. In fact, they may even try to blame you for your own injuries. They’ll do whatever they can to deny you the money you need and deserve. Hiring an attorney will level the playing field. Our lawyers will advocate on your behalf and fight to make sure that you’re fairly compensated for your injuries. Insurers are much more likely to negotiate when an attorney is involved.

We’ll Determine the True Value of Your Claim. Don’t rely on an insurance company’s or hospital’s valuation of your never event claim. Remember, they want you to walk away with as little as possible. At Citywide Law Group, our attorneys have developed professional relationships with some of the most respected medical experts in Los Angeles County. These experts can provide invaluable insight into your case and how much it may be worth. We’ll use this input to make sure that you aren’t shortchanged for your injuries.

We’ll Demand Compensation From Anyone Who is At Fault. You may think that one doctor is to blame for your injuries when, in reality, multiple people contributed to a never event. Failing to identify all negligent parties could significantly limit your financial recovery. Our experienced attorneys will carefully review the details of your medical treatment and identify anyone who may have caused or aggravated your never event. We’ll hold everyone who caused you harm accountable.

You’ve been through a traumatic event. You need time to recover. Hiring an attorney to handle your case will not only give you the time you need to get better, but also increase the likelihood of getting the money you deserve. Call Citywide Law Group today to learn more.

Need Help?

Has your family been affected by a never event? You need to fully understand your legal rights and options. The Los Angeles personal injury lawyers at Citywide Law Group can help. Call our office to schedule your free consultation. We’ll review your case, explain your rights, and answer any questions you have. Call to get started on your never event case today.