Seattle Medical Malpractice Lawyers
Medical Malpractice is a term used to describe a situation when a patient is treated with substandard care by a doctor or healthcare provider, resulting in injury or disability. Medical malpractice includes misdiagnosis, prescription drug errors, surgical errors, birth injuries, failure to treat illnesses and diseases, delay in treatment, and negligence.
In some cases, a patient dies as a result of the negligence by the healthcare provider, which is called "wrongful death". A Washington wrongful death claim may be handled along with a medical malpractice claim.
Medical malpractice may happen to children, adults, and the elderly without their knowledge. A healthcare provider should be someone a patient can trust, not a source of distress and threat. Medical malpractice is a traumatic experience, and the Washington medical malpractice attorneys at the Bernard Law Group, will make the process as simple as possible for you or your loved one.
Some statistics regarding medical malpractice:
- In a current study, it has been estimated that as many as 98,000 patients may be killed each year in hospitals as an outcome of medical errors.
- Over one million injuries are caused by medical malpractice every year.
Types of Medical Malpractice
Surgical error
A surgical error is a situation in which an attending surgeon, anesthesiologist, surgical resident, or nursing staff causes an error that results in an injury. Some examples of surgical errors are injuries from surgical instruments, poor positioning of the patient, or unsuitable use of anesthetics. In some cases, the physician may have performed a surgery on the wrong area of the body. With such a high number of surgeries being performed every year, surgical errors are becoming more and more common.
Birth injuries
During pregnancy, women have regular tests that monitor their own health as well as the progress and development of their unborn children. Pelvic examinations, various blood tests, tests of the baby's heart rate, and other exams are routine during pregnancy. Injuries that occur during prenatal care and/or delivery may leave devastating and possibly permanent effects on the mother and child. Some of these errors may result in debilitating disabilities, including Cerebral Palsy.
Cerebral Palsy Birth Injury
Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a disorder that is characterized by muscular tightening, delay in motor skills, seizures, and neurological problems. Cerebral Palsy occurs in approximately 2 to 4 individuals for every 1,000 births. CP may involve one arm and one leg, both arms, both legs, or all limbs. If the CP is severe the child may require a wheel chair for mobility and other devices to make tasks easier in the future. CP is usually the outcome when a baby's brain has suffered damage previous to or during birth. Cerebral Palsy is commonly caused by an infection or the lack of oxygen to the baby's brain during pregnancy.
Failure to Diagnose Cancer
In the United States, 300,000 people die from breast, colon, prostate, and lung cancer annually. Skin cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer and gynecological cancers have a higher likelihood of misdiagnosis than other cancers. Early detection is important to stop the cancer before it spreads. If you feel that you have been treated by a negligent doctor or that the diagnosis of your cancer was not discovered in a timely manner, you may have a Tacoma medical malpractice case.
The Bernard Law Group, has years of experience in medical malpractice matters. Our skilled team of Seattle personal injury attorneys will investigate the facts, assess your claim, establish which parties and insurance companies are to be held responsible, and organize all of the details of composing and presenting your case. If you think that you may have a medical malpractice case contact the Bernard Law Group.
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IF YOU, OR A LOVED ONE, HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED DUE TO MEDICAL MALPRACTICE - CALL TODAY FOR A FREE CONSULTATION!
