If your family has been harmed by the very unfortunate situation of a medical malpractice wrongful death, you have come to the right place.
This is a very painful situation to endure, and you probably have a lot of questions, concerns, and issues you want to discuss.
In this article, we will describe eight different types of lawsuits that may result from a wrongful death due to medical malpractice.
If a loved one has died at the hands of a negligent healthcare provider, you should know that there is hope in seeking justice for the hurt you and your family have suffered because of this experience. Speaking with an injury attorney can help you to determine what steps you need to take in your malpractice claim in order to get justice for a loved one.
Read on to understand some of the different types of lawsuits that may be applicable to you.
1. Failure to Diagnose or Complete Misdiagnosis
One of the more common reasons for a medical malpractice wrongful death lawsuit is because the healthcare provider completely failed to diagnose a life-threatening medical condition.
Another similar situation is if the doctor misdiagnosed the patient altogether. Failing to diagnose someone, or diagnosing them with something they do not have, are extremely serious cases of medical malpractice.
Death as a result of a doctor’s mistake in this area is a clear reason to go to court.
2. Birth and Delivery
When one of life’s most joyous occasions takes a tragic turn, medical malpractice is at its most heartbreaking. The death of a mother or child during the labor process is one of the hardest things a family can endure.
No matter whether the death occurred before, during, or after childbirth, a doctor can be in deep legal trouble if his or her negligence resulted in a death.
3. Surgical Errors
Surgical errors are the mistakes or misjudgments that may occur during a surgical procedure.
If a patient dies as a result–whether on the table or later, due to complications from the surgery–you should seek justice.
A medical malpractice wrongful death due to errors in surgery can be difficult to fight, as surgery is an inherently risky procedure, but justice is still possible.
4. Nursing Home Abuse
No one wants to think of their elderly loved ones being mistreated, especially by the very people who are supposed to be caring for them. If your loved one died as a result of nursing home abuse or in an assisted living facility, you have options.
This is another very heartbreaking case of medical malpractice wrongful death, but it is all too common.
If you believe your elderly relative has died due to nursing home abuse or negligence, you should be aware that this scenario is still considered a medical malpractice wrongful death.
The medical professionals who were charged with caring for your relative and keeping them alive and well should be held responsible for their misdeeds.
5. Wrong Prescriptions and Medications
One very serious case of medical malpractice wrongful death is the result of a patient being given the wrong prescription.
When a doctor makes a mistake in prescribing or administering medication to a patient, he or she must be held responsible.
A wrongful death due to medication complications can consist of a doctor prescribing a medication that actually killed the patient. However, it can also look like failing to prescribe the proper medication that would have saved the patient’s life.
If you believe that a loved one died as the result of improper medicating at the hands of a doctor, you may have a very serious lawsuit on your hands.
6. Delayed or Prolonged Treatment
It’s heartbreaking to experience the loss of a loved one. It’s even more heartbreaking to lose someone when you know that things didn’t have to be this way.
If a doctor delayed providing treatment to the patient or dragged out the diagnosis process so long that the patient died as a result, this is reason for a lawsuit. Death isn’t something that you would expect from a bulging disc injury, dog bite, or any other seemingly innocuous injury, but such deaths can happen when the victim is not being properly cared for.
This type of lawsuit can also arise if the patient simply did not start treatment soon enough when they could have if the doctor had been on the ball.
Whether the patient started treatment too late or never received it at all, a lawsuit may help to settle things and get an incapable doctor out of practice.
7. Death Due to Anesthesia
This is another very common reason for the wrongful death of a patient. Every surgical procedure is risky, especially a procedure in which the patient will go under general anesthesia.
A death during the surgery or even after the surgery is finished as the result of the anesthesia can be a very serious case of negligence or mis-prescription.
Usually, in this type of wrongful death, the patient simply never wakes up from surgery. Essentially, the person has been put into a coma and does not recover.
Going under anesthesia comes with risks, but if the anesthesiologist made the dosage too strong or failed to provide proper counsel to an at-risk patient, you certainly have a case on your hands.
8. Emergency Room Negligence
Issues in the emergency room are another common cause of medical malpractice wrongful death. Presenting an ER with a person at serious risk of death demands their full attention.
If the ER personnel on duty did not tend to the patient with proper speed and care, their careless actions can lead to a death that could have been prevented. This is heartbreaking, but justice can be sought.
A wrongful death due to mistakes made in the ER can look like staff failing to tend to a patient’s needs right away, leaving them waiting when their case was life-threatening or failing to take the situation seriously.
All of them are wrong and should be elevated to a lawsuit in order to help prevent similar situations in the future.
Have Questions About A Medical Malpractice Wrongful Death?
If you are the unfortunate sufferer of a medical malpractice wrongful death in the family, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Stephen Babcock is standing by to help you.
Your case — and your future will be our top priority. When we meet with you, we will review your case with you for free and after you hire us you will have Stephen’s 100% Client Satisfaction Guarantee.
If you have any questions about this article or want to contact us, call Stephen at (225) 240-4053 or contact us here.
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