WHEN NEGLIGENCE IN THE ER LEADS TO WRONGFUL DEATH

Medical negligence is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. One reason for this disturbing statistic is the high rate of error that takes place within emergency rooms across the country. The chaotic and busy nature of an emergency room creates ample opportunity for mistakes by physicians, nurses and other staff members. Under the most serious circumstances, an emergency room mistake can lead to the wrongful death of an innocent patient.

Common Emergency Room Mistakes

Emergency room errors occur for a variety of reasons, including human mishaps, technical malfunctions, and organizational inadequacies. Some of the most common mistakes occurring within emergency room settings include:

• Missed diagnosis. Patients are often misdiagnosed within the emergency room. The treating physician may fail to review the patient’s medical history and miss important warning signs. When a serious condition is misdiagnosed, life-saving treatment may be denied or delayed.
• Inadequate monitoring. Emergency room nurses and staff members have a duty to adequately monitor patients and their vital signs. Failure to meet this duty can result in missed signs or symptoms and delayed treatment.
• Delayed and inaccurate treatment. Delayed or incorrect treatments can cause medical conditions to worsen, even to the point of becoming fatal for the patient.
• Laboratory errors. Carelessness when performing lab tests may lead to a variety of errors within an emergency room setting. Lab technicians may mix up samples or fail to properly report results. Laboratory errors can cause incorrect diagnoses or delayed treatments.
• Refusal of treatment. Some emergency rooms may refuse to provide treatment to a person based on their inability to pay. While federal law prohibits this egregious behavior by most emergency facilities, “patient dumping” still occurs, leaving patients without the life-saving care they need.

ER Errors Can Lead to Wrongful Deaths

When a patient does not receive proper treatment during an emergency room visit, the result can be deadly. Wrongful death occurs when a person’s negligence results in the death of someone else. An experienced Baltimore medical malpractice attorney from Schochor, Federico and Staton, P.A.  understands that multiple parties may be responsible in a wrongful death claim. In an emergency room setting, the negligent actions of a doctor, nurse or the hospital can lead to the wrongful death of a patient. The physician may have failed to accurately diagnose a serious medical condition, or the nurse may have failed to properly monitor the condition of the patient. In addition, it may be discovered that the hospital was negligent in its hiring or supervisory procedures.

Experienced Representation for a Medical Malpractice claim from Baltimore and Washington D.C. Attorneys

If your loved one perished due to an emergency room error, seek legal advice from the medical malpractice attorneys at Schochor, Federico and Staton, P.A. Our firm can be reached at 410-234-1000 or you can complete our contact form.

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