Tacoma Emergency Room Errors Lawyer

Every year, 4 in 10 Americans will set foot in an emergency room. Given the high volume and fast pace, emergency rooms can be one of the riskier departments in the hospital. In our practice at Ladenburg Law, a sizeable portion of our malpractice cases involve emergency room errors.

If you’ve had an error happen during a visit to the emergency room, you may wonder if your next step is to file a medical malpractice suit. Read on to learn more about how we can help you decide.

What Kind of Emergency Room Errors Might be Considered Negligence?

Let’s be clear: not every error that happens in the emergency room is malpractice. Unfortunately, bad outcomes sometimes happen, and it’s not anyone’s fault.

So, when is an emergency room error malpractice? Here are some potential instances:

Misdiagnosis. The doctor misdiagnoses or fails to diagnose your condition. When this happens, your condition worsens from receiving no treatment or the wrong treatment.
Delayed Treatment. The severity of your condition is underestimated, and you suffer harm.
Medication Errors. You suffer after receiving the wrong medication, or the wrong dosage.

Of these, a misdiagnosis is by far the most common emergency room error we see in our practice. Certain conditions are serious (such as heart attack, stroke, or infection) and need prompt treatment. When missed, the results can be devastating.

Why do Emergency Room Mistakes Happen?

Many emergency rooms across America are busy and understaffed. Most of the doctors and nurses are doing their best to juggle an endless stream of patients, long hours, and constant interruptions. Unfortunately, those exact conditions can lead to errors.

Some of the reasons for errors include:

Incorrect assessment of patient’s condition
Failure to order tests
Errors in reading test results
Communication breakdowns
Lack of sound procedures
Patient mix-ups
Patient dumping (transferring or discharging a patient due to lack of insurance)

When it comes to malpractice, generally more than one thing went wrong.

What Does an Attorney Need to be Able to Prove in a Medical Malpractice Case?

When we sit down with potential clients for the first time, there are a few things we need to establish:

Patient-doctor relationship. Can we verify that you’d consented to receive care from the doctor, nurse, or other practitioner that treated you?
Breached standard of care. Did the doctor deviate from the standard of care his or her colleagues would have provided in the same situation?
Causation of harm. Is it clear that the doctor’s actions directly harmed you?
Severity of harm. Would an independent doctor be able to verify your injury, illness, or suffering?

A medical malpractice claim is expensive and often requires hundreds of attorney hours. This is why we only accept cases that we feel there is ample evidence of wrongdoing.

How Would a Personal Injury Attorney Help me with my Case?

We often have clients come to us who are confused about what happened to them in the emergency room. The good news is that it’s free for an initial consultation. When we meet with you, we’ll want to hear your story from start to finish. You do not have to figure out if your case warrants a medical malpractice claim – that’s our job.

If we end up representing you as your personal injury attorney, rest assured that we’ll only collect a fee if we’re able to win you a settlement. In other instances, we’re able to offer people peace of mind knowing that we investigated and didn’t find evidence of negligence.

No matter what, we do urge you to call us as soon as you’re able. There is limited time to file a malpractice claim in the state of Washington following your injury. Please call us today to schedule your free consultation.