Emergency rooms are notoriously hectic working environments. When faced with life or death situations, doctors are often required to make crucial decisions quickly with limited patient information. Despite these stressors, physicians working in the ER still have a vital duty to provide the best possible care to every patient they see. Any doctor that fails to meet this standard may have committed legally actionable malpractice.
After suffering preventable harm from poor treatment in an ER, understanding and enforcing your rights may be much easier with help from a Bridgeport emergency room error lawyer. A medical malpractice attorney can help you pursue the compensation you deserve for your losses while avoiding legal or procedural roadblocks along the way. Contact Berkowitz Hanna today to get started.
Three main criteria determine whether a person who received inadequate care from an emergency room has grounds to file suit against a negligent provider. First, there must have been a doctor-patient relationship between the prospective defendant and the injured party. In other words, the allegedly negligent doctor must have examined, treated, and/or supervised the patient, rather than just being in the area when they were admitted to the ER.
Next, the doctor must have violated the “standard of care” applicable to physicians working in the ER. This means they must have done something a reasonable and equally qualified doctor would not have done under the same circumstances. As a Bridgeport ER mistake attorney could further explain, the “standard” for ER doctors is a bit more relaxed than that of doctors in less chaotic working conditions. Having input from multiple qualified medical experts is required by law in these cases, and can be especially crucial to establishing that a defendant’s actions meaningfully fell below the standard expected of them.
Finally, the patient must have suffered injuries and subsequent losses directly and primarily because of their doctor’s specific negligent act. Even if an ER doctor did fail to diagnose a tumor, for example, their patient would only have grounds for litigation if that misdiagnosis caused them to forego treatment until the tumor caused them recoverable losses.
Compensable damages in medical negligence claims can include both economic and non-economic forms of harm, including:
Connecticut courts do not “cap” damages in any type of malpractice litigation, so it is possible to recover for the total value of past and future losses relative to the initial filing date. Assistance from a seasoned attorney is crucial to identifying and accurately evaluating losses caused by an ER error in Bridgeport.
When someone goes to the ER, they place a lot of trust in their care providers’ hands. Therefore, if a medical professional breaks this trust by causing or worsening injuries, matters become even more devastating. When faced with such a situation, it is important to know that you have legal options.
A Bridgeport emergency room error lawyer can discuss your rights and possible recovery options during a free consultation. Schedule yours by calling Berkowitz Hanna today.
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