Can I Sue A Hospital For Negligence?
When sick, injured or suffering from chronic medical issues, you trust your doctors and others associated with your care to provide the diagnostic testing, treatment, and follow-up care you need. When they fail to do so or recklessly take actions that put you at risk, serious and potentially life-threatening personal injuries can happen as a result. These can end up impacting you and your loved ones for years into the future. At The Surasky Law Firm, we help you hold those at fault accountable.
Our Aiken personal injury attorney represents clients in claims filed against negligent medical providers, including hospitals. Find out more about common types of hospital negligence and how to sue them for the medical expenses, lost wages, and other damages you suffer as a result.
Hospital Negligence And The Impact It Can Have On Your Health
While medical providers are only human, mistakes and errors they make have serious impacts on patients. According to a study from Johns Hopkins Medicine, medical malpractice and negligence has increased in recent years and is now one of the leading causes of death in the United States, claiming the lives of close to 250,000 people each year while leaving hundreds of thousands of others with serious personal injuries.
Due to the frantic pace, high volume of patients, and the pressure from insurers to streamline services and not admit patients, ho/e most likely places for medical mistakes and errors to happen. Common types of hospital negligence include:
Failing to properly assess and treat emergency room patients, leading to dangerous delays in treatment;
Failing to properly supervise patients, resulting in slips and falls or other accidents;
Failing to properly clean and sanitize surfaces, practice personal hygiene, and change patient dressings, resulting in dangerous and drug-resistant hospital-based infections;
Failing to provide appropriate testing and losing track of results, resulting in missed diagnosis;
Failing to properly fill in or maintain patient charts, which can lead to needless surgeries and other mistakes;
Failure to administer medications properly or pay attention to allergies, resulting in potentially life-threatening adverse reactions;
Failure on the part of doctors, surgeons, diagnostic technicians, anesthesiologists, and other hospital staff, resulting in patients not getting the care they need.
How South Carolina Hospitals Rate
When it comes to how South Carolina hospitals rate, patients have a right to be concerned. The State recently reported that health safety grades issued by a consumer watchdog group, numerous hospitals throughout the midlands received dismal scores. While there were some that got applauded for providing quality patient care, numerous others received far lower scores, including several that got D’s and F’s. SC Lawyers Weekly highlights some of the serious cases that have occurred in our area:
A patient who visited Spartanburg Regional Medical Center suffered long term disabilities after the hospital downplayed her injuries and failed to diagnose a broken clavicle.
A woman who remains in a coma after delivering a baby in another Columbia-area hospital, due to hospital negligence;
A man who became permanently paralyzed after doctors at another SC hospital failed to order an MRI for him in the aftermath of an accident;
A woman who underwent a procedure at Palmetto Richland Hospital, only to have the surgeon leave a medical sponge in her colon, causing her long months of pain and health problems.
Suing A Hospital Or Other Medical Providers For Negligence
Hospitals, nursing homes, and other medical facilities and providers all owe a duty of care to patients. Under the South Carolina Code, they can be held accountable for negligence. This is generally defined as failing to take the steps a reasonable provider would have in similar circumstances or failing to take the appropriate precautions to prevent patients from suffering personal injuries.
Have you or someone you love been injured due to hospital negligence? The following details some of the steps involved in filing a claim:
Determine the legal duty the hospital had to the patient and the way in which they failed in this duty, either through their actions or inactions;
Request copies of all medical records related to the incident;
Get a statement from your doctor providing a diagnosis of your current condition, how the hospital’s actions contributed to current problems you are experiencing, and your prognosis for recovery;
Gather statements from you, family, friends, and your employer regarding the ways in which the incident impacted your life;
Make a detailed list of all hospital employees involved and who is liable in a claim;
Submit notice of pending litigation;
Consider any settlement offers made by the hospital or provider’s insurer;
If an offer is not made or is less than you deserve, file a negligence lawsuit through the local courts.
What To Bring To A Lawyer
Hospitals have teams of attorneys on their side, standing by to aggressively defend them against claims. It is important to have an experienced South Carolina personal injury attorney acting as a strong legal advocate on your behalf in this situation, making sure your legal rights are protected. The first step is scheduling a consultation to discuss the details in your case and the legal options available. Information you should bring to this meeting include:
Your own detailed notes about the incident, when it happened, who was involved, and the impacts you suffered as a result;
Any medical records or statements you have received;
Contact information for your doctor and other medical providers;
Related bills, wage statements, and other items detailing the losses you have suffered as a result of hospital negligence.
Request A Consultation With Our Aiken Personal Injury Attorney
If you or someone you love is injured due to hospital negligence, it is important to get professional legal guidance to determine how to proceed. At The Surasky Law Firm, LLC., we have decades’ worth of experience protecting the rights of clients who have suffered serious injuries. To discuss your case and how we can help you, call or contact our Aiken personal injury attorney online and request a consultation today.
