Examples of Medical Negligence
It is an unfortunate reality that medical treatments and procedures do not always go according to plan. While this is sometimes unavoidable, in many situations it is actually the fault of a medical professional that leads to an injury being sustained or a condition worsened. When this happens, it may indeed be a case of medical negligence. Thankfully for the afflicted, this is a type of case that can be met with a lawsuit to receive compensation for the injuries. What exactly defines medical negligence and what are some examples of it that may lead to a lawsuit?
Medical negligence occurs when a doctor, nurse, or other medical professional fails to meet the expected standard of care and an injury is sustained as a result. This can either be an unnecessary action that is undergone or the lack of one, but in either case it must be carelessness that is the cause, not malicious intent.
A common example of medical negligence is the failure to adequately clean out a wound or sanitize surgical equipment that leads to a serious infection. In this case, the medical staff should have cleaned the wound or their instruments better and, if they had, the injury would not have occurred. Due to carelessness and a foregoing of standard procedures, harm was caused and this is the crux of a medical negligence case.
Another example would be misdiagnosing of a serious disease, such as cancer, that leads it to grow worse and lead to more extreme treatment down the line. If a patient mentions certain symptoms and the doctor neglects to follow up on it or administer appropriate tests, this would be the cause of the worsened injury and therefore create grounds for a lawsuit.
If you or someone you know has suffered in the above situations or similar ones, you may have grounds for a medical negligence case. If you are going down this route it is highly recommended to have a skilled and experienced attorney on your side to help you through the case. To learn about how we at the Franco Law Firm can serve you in this role, please call us at (813) 872-0929.
