Can a Hospital Accident Lawyer Help if You are Injured in an Emergency Room Mistake?
If you or someone you love was injured by an emergency room mistake, or if someone you love has tragically died because of this, it may be in your best interest to consult a hospital accident lawyer Alexandria, VA emergency room accident victims and their families can rely on for help in difficult situations like the one you find yourself in now.
An emergency room can be a very chaotic place. The room is constantly filling up with people having a multitude of wounds and illnesses. The emergency room staff’s job is to decide whose condition is the most critical and to stabilize them as fast as they can. With so many severe illnesses and wounds coming in along with having tons of patients, it can be tough to ensure everyone receives the proper care they need. In addition to the large amounts of patients, emergency rooms are known to be overcrowded and understaffed, which exacerbates problems. In an emergency room’s fast-paced environment, it is easy for mistakes to happen, however, there is never an excuse for negligence. A hospital accident lawyer who is licensed to practice in Alexandria and throughout VA may help you to understand your rights in this unfortunate situation.
Regardless of how busy an emergency room is, an emergency nurse or doctor is required to provide their patients with the same level of treatment that any other nurse or doctor would. This means that if you or your loved one are a victim of a mistake made in the emergency room, you could be entitled to compensation for your pain, suffering, and any bills related to your accident.
Common Mistakes in the Emergency Room
Unfortunately, while people go to the emergency room to receive urgent medical treatment, the emergency room can fail its patients. When this happens, it may be in the victim’s and/or their family’s best interest to discuss their situation with a hospital accident lawyer in Alexandria, VA, or one in the state that the accident happened in.
Aside from the emergency room being overcrowded, understaffed, and hectic, there are also common problems that arise because of medical record issues. In many instances, emergency rooms are not able to immediately access your medical records which could potentially cause errors if they do not know your medical history or about any existing conditions or allergies you may have. If you cannot speak with someone who is able to access your medical records, this lack of information may impact your treatment.
Mistakes and errors that are common in the emergency room include:
- Prescription errors
- Misdiagnosis
- Delayed diagnosis
- Failure to spot heart attack or stroke symptoms
- Failure to spot obvious physical distress signs, for instance organ failure
- Improper or inadequate diagnostic tests
- Paperwork errors, procedural errors, lab errors
- Misread x-rays or test results
- Failure to keep conditions sanitary
- Failure to spot a high-priority health concern
If you or someone you love has suffered because of any of the above emergency room problems, it may be in your best interest to consult a hospital accident lawyer who has experience in successfully defending the rights of emergency room accident victims and their families in Alexandria, VA.
Why do these mistakes happen?
We visit the emergency room for immediate medical attention because we trust the doctors and nurses there. It can be scary to think that these doctors and nurses can make mistakes, especially ones that can affect your health immediately. These mistakes usually happen because of having an overworked staff. Emergency rooms do not have a limit to how many patients they will admit. That means that the emergency room can sometimes be filled with patients that all are in need of immediate attention. If this is the case, doctors and nurses could rush through checks and procedures, which could cause them to miss minor details that could show a larger problem. When these unfortunate things happen, it is a good idea to discuss your situation with a reputable hospital accident lawyer in Alexandria or anyplace in VA.
Seeking Compensation
If you were injured from a mistake in the emergency room, you could be eligible to receive compensation for any lost wages, medical bills, or for the loss of your quality of life. When pursuing legal action, your attorney will need to prove there was negligence involved in this mistake.
For a hospital accident lawyer Alexandria, VA emergency room accident victims and their families have been able to trust for over 35 years, contact Cohen & Cohen for a free case evaluation with no obligations.