Most people go to a pharmacy to pick up a prescription and trust that their medicine is the correct type and dose their doctor prescribes. It may seem absurd to worry about a qualified professional making an error following a doctor’s instructions—but as seasoned malpractice attorneys know all too well, that exact mistake happens more often than people might expect.
Mistakes with prescription medications can have lasting, even life-altering consequences. You deserve to be compensated fairly by all parties involved in causing those harmful results. A knowledgeable Connecticut pharmacy malpractice lawyer can help enforce your legal rights effectively and give you a better shot at a positive case result.
There are several behaviors that a responsible and qualified pharmacist should never engage in, including:
Irresponsible acts like these and things like failing to provide safety and proper usage instructions often constitute a breach of the “standard of care” pharmacists have as licensed medical professionals. This breach could be the basis for a malpractice lawsuit against them.
As a Connecticut pharmacy malpractice attorney can explain, pharmacy technicians are rarely the only people who hold civil liability for this type of error. Pharmacy supervisors and owners may hold “vicarious liability” for their employee’s misconduct or direct liability for insufficient hiring and training practices that allowed an unqualified technician to make harmful mistakes. In some cases, the fault for this error may fall on a physician who wrote the wrong prescription for a patient or a nurse who did not clearly communicate a doctor’s instructions to the pharmacist.
Regardless of who is responsible for a customer receiving the wrong prescription, anyone harmed by this misconduct has a limited time to file suit over their injuries. Specifically, under Connecticut General Statutes § 52-584, most individuals who get hurt due to a medical professional’s negligence have two years after discovering their injury or illness to begin the litigation process.
Connecticut Gen. Stat. § 52-584 sets a deadline of three years after the malpractice incident for litigation to begin, regardless of when the injured party realizes they have been harmed. Understanding the deadlines associated with filing an injury claim can be tricky without legal help. Never just assume that your time to file has passed; speak with a Connecticut pharmacy error attorney to go over your options.
Misconduct by a drugstore technician could worsen a condition that was supposed to be treated or cause serious harm or injury from receiving the incorrect medication. If you have been harmed by pharmacy negligence, you may have grounds to take legal action against the people responsible for your injuries and losses—but only if you understand and effectively enforce your rights under Connecticut civil law.
A Connecticut pharmacy malpractice lawyer can be your ally from the beginning to the end of your legal proceedings. Our team at Berkowitz Hanna will work tirelessly to help get you every cent you deserve. Call today to learn more.
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