If you believe that you, or a family member, have been a victim of medical malpractice in the emergency room of a hospital, here are some points to consider:
If you have been harmed during a visit to the emergency room, you may be entitled to financial compensation. If your condition became worse and you believe it is due to something that happened while you were in the emergency room, you should talk to a lawyer who is experienced in emergency room malpractice lawsuits about your situation. He or she will be able to look into the matter to see if a mistake was made.
Medical malpractice is the failure of a medical professional to exercise the same degree of care and caution in which a reasonable and prudent medical professional would exercise under like conditions and circumstances and results in harm to the patient. It can be an error in diagnosing your medical problem, prescribing the wrong medicine or wrong dosage, improper treatment for the condition or other incorrect acts.
A medical malpractice lawsuit can also stem from an omission of an act that should have been performed by a doctor, nurse, hospital staff, clinic, laboratory, or another medical provider. The act or omission must be the direct cause of your health becoming worse.
A bad outcome does not necessarily mean you have been the victim of medical malpractice. If the emergency room medical team did everything possible in a correct manner, but you still got worse, there may not be grounds for a lawsuit. However, a medical malpractice lawyer will be the best person to help you make this determination. He or she will be able to discover exactly what should have been done in your case and if everything was done according to the appropriate standard of care.
Don’t wait. There is a limited time in which you must file your complaint. There may be evidence to be collected or people to be interviewed. The more time that goes by, the harder it is to prove that you are entitled to compensation for a medical error. Speak to a lawyer while the details are still fresh in everyone’s mind.
A medical malpractice attorney at the Mitchell Leeds, LLP will give you a free initial consultation so you have nothing to lose by discussing your situation. If you believe that you or a family member may be a victim of medical malpractice or if you have questions about emergency room malpractice lawsuits, contact the Mitchell Leeds, LLP, a medical malpractice law firm in San Francisco, California, at (415) 769-3400.
