Hospital malpractice occurs when a hospital, or one of its employees, commits an error and it results in harm to a patient. Hospital errors are responsible for thousands of unnecessary patient injuries and deaths every year. If you or a loved one are the victim of a serious hospital error, you’re entitled to seek compensation for medical malpractice.
Who Are Hospitals Responsible For?
When it comes to cases of medical malpractice, a hospital is responsible for three general categories of people. These are:
- Hospital employees, or people who work part-time or full-time for the hospital, on hospital premises, and are paid directly by the hospital (or its corporate owner),
- Associates, or people who provide a service to patients on hospital premises, but who are employed and paid by a private company, and
- Administrative employees, or employees charged with administration and policy.
What are Common Hospital Errors and Causes?
There are several ways in which a hospital can make a medical error. Some common ones include:
- Wrong or Delayed Diagnosis: Misdiagnosis of a person’s illness or condition is the most frequent basis for medical malpractice claims. The delay or mistake might be made by the treating physician, the hospital’s medical laboratory, or someone in the radiology department.
- Improper Refusal to Treat: A hospital’s denial of treatment to a person in immediate need of medical or mental health care is a serious form of malpractice, regardless of the patient’s ability to pay.
- Medication Errors: Medication errors can include a patient getting the wrong medication, getting the wrong dose or frequency of medication, or getting medication meant for a different patient. The malpractice may be the fault of the prescribing physician, hospital nursing staff, or the hospital’s pharmacy.
- Surgical Errors: Surgical malpractice can arise from damage to unrelated body parts, operating on the wrong body part, incomplete removal of cancers, anesthesia problems, and infections.
- Childbirth Injuries: Hospital errors during labor and delivery can be catastrophic, causing serious harm to mother and baby. Cesarean section complications are the basis for many malpractice claims.
What Compensation can You Recover in a Medical Malpractice Case?
If you were injured because of a hospital error, you can bring a medical malpractice case and try to receive compensation for:
- Medical bills and medical expenses,
- Home health medical care,
- Physical and occupational therapy,
- Lost wages,
- Lost earning capacity, and
- Non-economic damages such as pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life.
Please note that unlike many states, Washington has no limits, or caps, on the amount of damages that you can recover in a medical malpractice case. The result is that, if you win your case, you can collect whatever amount of money the jury awards you for your losses. This is true unless the judge or a higher court reduces the award.
Contact Otorowski Morrow & Golden, PLLC
Please know that our firm is here to help if you were injured due to a hospital error. Otorowski Morrow & Golden, PLLC provides free consultations to all our potential clients. The attorneys at our law firm also have over 120 years of combined experience representing injured parties in medical malpractice cases. They never back down to insurers and fight for their clients’ interests every step of the way. Do yourself a favor and contact them now for the quality legal representation you deserve.