Shelton Emergency Room Error Lawyer

Visiting an emergency room can be traumatic for patients and their loved ones. People do not usually visit emergency departments for routine wellness visits or minor inconveniences like the common cold. Instead, they go to emergency rooms when they are very sick or injured and need immediate care and assistance. Doctors, nurses, clerks, and other healthcare professionals who work in emergency departments need to be able to recognize, manage, and treat all sorts of conditions. When emergency room professionals make mistakes, the consequences can be tragic. 

When a provider’s mistake at the ER causes you or a loved one to suffer dire health consequences, it is crucial to understand that you have legal options. A Shelton emergency room error lawyer at Berkowitz Hanna can help you navigate the steps of a medical malpractice suit

Common Types of Errors Occurring in Shelton Emergency Rooms

In medical emergencies, timely and correct care is essential. When medical workers make careless mistakes, their patients can get sicker and even die. The following are common mistakes seen in emergency rooms:

  • Incorrect or missed diagnoses, such as an infection, pneumonia, heart attack, or stroke
  • Delayed treatment – Even when the medical team makes the correct diagnosis, a patient can suffer if the medical staff fails to treat them quickly 
  • Failure to order the appropriate tests based on a patient’s symptoms, such as x-rays, CT scans, or MRIs
  • Mistakes in interpreting a test
  • Medication mistakes, such as giving the wrong drug or dosage of the drug
  • Discharge errors, such as premature discharge of a patient or dismissal without proper discharge instructions
  • Failure to schedule follow-up visits
  • Failure to consult with specialists
  • Failure to admit a patient to a hospital

Emergency room errors can have catastrophic consequences. Without a timely diagnosis, a patient’s illness could progress, forcing them to eventually undergo unnecessary and expensive medical procedures. A compassionate local attorney can help affected people seek damages that cover their medical expenses and other losses after an ER mistake. 

Proving Liability in an ER Malpractice Claim

Establishing negligence is critical to prevailing in a malpractice claim. When assessing negligence, a court will look at whether the doctor’s actions complied with the standard of how other doctors would have acted when faced with the same type of circumstances. A provider who fails to take the steps that a similarly trained provider would in the same situation could be considered negligent.

Due to the nature of their profession, emergency room workers need to be able to think and act quickly. They receive training and education on prioritizing patients and providing the most efficient care. Sometimes, medical staff must make split-second decisions on how to care for a patient without having all the necessary background information on a patient. For instance, if a doctor misdiagnoses an unconscious patient’s symptoms and the patient becomes sicker, that would not necessarily be negligence. However, a doctor who discharges a patient who displays clear signs of a recognizable illness, such as appendicitis, could be found negligent. 

A diligent Shelton attorney can work with medical professionals who could examine the emergency room errors to see if they rise to the level of legal malpractice. 

Get Help from a Shelton Emergency Room Attorney

When you go to an emergency room, you have the right to expect competent care in a timely manner. An emergency department error can further aggravate an already dangerous medical condition. 

A Shelton emergency room error lawyer can fight for the compensation you deserve and need after a provider’s mistake. Contact us at Berkowitz Hanna to learn more about what we can do for you.