Medical Malpractice and Mistakes

 

Medical malpractice can happen to you or a family member. It can be caused by the negligence of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, hospitals, and nursing homes. This negligence can result in severe injuries or even death. So what is your recourse? How can you get your financial and emotional resources met after a tragedy from medical malpractice? The medical malpractice lawyers at Gallon, Takacs & Boissoneault aggressively and successfully handle medical negligence cases. We have relationships with strong medical experts required to analyze and prosecute complex medical malpractice claims.

According to published reports, an average of 195,000 people in the United States die every year from preventable errors in hospitals alone, while 1.5 million people are harmed by prescription errors (7,000 die from these errors annually).

Know your rights and protect your family. Contact Gallon, Takacs & Boissoneault now for a free consultation at one of our convenient locations.

 

Surgical Errors

 

An instance of surgical malpractice can cause a person who was already ill to be burdened by an additional injury. He or she may need another surgery to repair the damage. Unfortunately, in some cases, there may be nothing that can be done to fix the problem.

A surgical error can cause injuries such as brain damage, organ damage, paralysis, nerve damage or amputation. These types of injuries may result in permanent disability or wrongful death. Our attorneys seek compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. You may also receive compensation for funeral expenses and the personal loss of a loved one in wrongful death cases.

 

Surgical Errors May Include Issues Such as:

• Anesthesia errors;
• Wrong-site surgery;
• Nicking an organ;
• Surgical instruments left in the patient;
• Failure to maintain vital signs; and
• Failures in postoperative care.

Not every bad outcome is the result of malpractice. We will determine whether medical negligence by any member of your health care team caused your injury.

 

Delayed Diagnosis or Misdiagnosis

 

A delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis can cause serious harm to a patient. It may even cause wrongful death. If you or a family member has been a victim of misdiagnosis, you may be able to collect compensation for your losses.

Typically, a valid misdiagnosis claim involves significant harm to or death of the injured patient. While the physician may be at fault, a misdiagnosis can also be caused by other medical staff such as radiologists, pathologists, diagnostic technicians or lab technicians.

 

Errors and Negligence Resulting In a Misdiagnosis Can Include:

• Ignoring the patient’s risk factors and/or symptoms;
• Failure to order appropriate diagnostic tests based on patient symptoms;
• Mistakes made while conducting tests;
• Misreading test results; and
• Failure to follow up on test results.

Any of these issues may result in failing to make an accurate diagnosis while the patient’s illness is treatable. Catastrophic injury or wrongful death may occur if a patient is not properly diagnosed with illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, infection, and diabetes.

 

Birth Injuries

 

There is risk associated with all births. While most occur without injury, medical malpractice can cause injuries from oxygen deficiency, surgical errors, medication errors, and misdiagnosis. When a medical provider’s negligence causes injury to the baby or mother, the family can take action with a lawyer’s help. We understand that this is a very difficult time for your family. The birth injury lawyers in Ohio at Gallon, Takacs & Boissoneault, provide compassionate representation in medical malpractice cases. We help birth injury victims and their families hold negligent parties accountable.

By consulting with medical experts, life-care planners and economists, we are able to calculate your past and future damages for a birth injury. This may include losses such as medical bills, long-term care, and lost wages. Babies who suffer serious birth injuries may need medical treatment that exceeds $1 million over their lifetimes. It is critical that you receive adequate compensation to cover these costs.

 

Some of the Most Common Birth Injuries to Infants Include:

• Cerebral palsy;
• Erb’s palsy/brachial plexus injuries;
• Shoulder dystocia;
• Brain damage;
• Nerve damage; and
• Forceps/vacuum injuries.

In addition to injuries to the baby, we file suits involving injury or wrongful death of the mother.

We will investigate the incident for labor and delivery negligence such as failure to call a specialist, failure to perform a C-section or failure to properly monitor the fetus. Other problems such as negligent prenatal care or postoperative care after a C-section may also be factors.

 

Medical Malpractice Sample Cases

 

Examples of the types of medical malpractice cases our lawyers have successfully handled in Toledo, Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan include:

• Cardiology – error in prescribing medication that resulted in the patient’s death.
• Radiology – failure to properly detect and report a suspicious spot in the lung, resulting in a delayed diagnosis of lung cancer and ultimately the patient’s death.
• Anesthesia – failure to take the appropriate pre-operative precautions resulting in the patient aspirating gastric content and suffering brain damage.
• Hematology – failure of a hematologist to recognize and properly treat a patient who had been given an overdose of Heparin, a blood thinner, in a hospital who then bled to death in her hospital bed.
• Nursing – failure to properly triage a patient’s phone call for assistance, resulting in the patient’s death.
• Defective medical device – an implanted medical device broke inside a patient’s body leading to numerous, very serious, life-altering complications.
• Plastic surgery – negligent use of a medical laser resulting in a permanent, disfiguring scar.
• Hospital administration – hospital policies were inadequate to notify a recent emergency room patient of a markedly abnormal test result once the patient had been discharged, resulting in the patient suffering a serious bout of pancreatitis, development of ARDS (a serious lung condition), three weeks in a coma, and an extended recuperation period.

 

Gallon, Takacs & Boissoneault Can Help You

 

The medical malpractice lawyers at Gallon, Takacs & Boissoneault provide experienced representation to injured patients and their families in Ohio and Michigan. We understand the frustration that people feel when a surgery does not produce the desired outcome. We investigate the claims to determine liability and to find answers for the patients and their families. Please call 419-843-6663 or contact online to schedule a free consultation. We are here to help.