5 Common (And Uncommon) Examples of
Medical Negligence
Are you the victim of increasingly complicated medical problems? Have these medical
problems been the result of someone else's wrongdoing?
If so, then you may be entitled to significant amounts of compensation for medical
negligence. In this article, we'll take a look at a few medical negligence examples that
have resulted in successful lawsuits in the past.
What is Negligence?
Before we dive into these examples, let's first make sure that we understand what negligence
is. In a nutshell, negligence is a failure to perform a legal duty.
For instance, when you are being treated at a hospital, the hospital is legally obliged to treat
you correctly. They can't just make up treatments as they go, because then they would not be
fulfilling that legal obligation to help you recover.
1. Mistake During Surgery
One of the most common examples of medical negligence is a botched surgery. It could be
that the surgeon was not well-read enough on the type of surgery and simply made an error. It
could be that surgeon was too tired to do the surgery at the time, and thus made a physical
error with the slip of a hand.
Whatever it is, a mistake during surgery could result in significant complications. If these
complications negatively impact your life, then you could be entitled to a ton of
compensation.
2. Incorrect Medication Administered
Another common example of medical negligence is incorrect medication being administered
to a patient. Medicines are typically administered by nurses. A nurse should check and recheck prescriptions to ensure that they are providing the right medication to their patient.
But if they fail to do so, and accidentally give you the wrong drugs, then they could be held
accountable for that with a civil suit.
3. Treatment on a Misdiagnosis
A misdiagnosis is exactly what it sounds like: a wrong diagnosis given you by a doctor. If the
medical professional failed to diagnose you correctly and acted on that misdiagnosis with
treatment that worsened your condition, you could be eligible for compensation. These are
murkier waters though, as not every misdiagnosis results in compensation.
4. Poor Anesthetic Administration
This is a rarer occurrence, but sometimes an anesthesiologist will give you the wrong
amounts of anesthetic to put you under for a procedure. This could result in you waking up
too late or too early. If either case negatively impacts you, then compensation may be
forthcoming.
5. Unsanitary Conditions
Last but not least, all kinds of establishments can be held accountable for exposing customers
to unsanitary or contaminated conditions to your medical detriment. Just take a look at the
Coronavirus lawsuit updates for the cruise ship that had lots of infected folks on board.
Know These Medical Negligence Examples
There you have it. With knowledge of these medical negligence examples under your belt,
you should now be far better equipped to judge whether or not your specific situation calls for
a lawsuit.
For more legal articles, be sure to take some time to check out the rest of the website!