Personal Injury Lawyer
Many people rely on the services of medical doctors and hospitals. Citizens trust the individuals at these entities to be highly-trained, proficient workers. However, there are times when the organizations and people let patients down. Dealing with the wrongful death of a loved one can be a painful experience. Many bereaved family members may not know what options are for filing a wrongful death lawsuit. It is important to know what qualifies as wrongful death, and these following practices can lead to it.
Negligence
Physicians take the Hippocratic Oath to swear to a high level of ethics in treating patients. However, doctors are sometimes negligent in the care of a patient. Negligence occurs when the doctor does not adhere to the set standard of care in a patient’s treatment. In other words, he or she acts in a way that is substandard to how other physicians would act in a similar situation. This act of medical malpractice may be intentional or unintentional.
Breached Infection Control
When patients go in for medical procedures, they trust that the hospital properly trains all employees in proper infection control. When infection control is breached, a patient can develop serious infections that can be life-threatening. When a patient dies as a result of substandard infection control, the survivors of the patient have a right to sue for wrongful death. There must be evidence showing that a subsequent infection was directly related to the practices of the hospital.
Misdiagnosis
One of the most common causes of wrongful death in a medical facility is misdiagnosis. Physicians may not recognize a certain condition, and therefore the proper treatment is not carried out. It is important that all diagnoses are properly charted so that clear records can be traced. If a patient dies and it can be shown that a certain treatment could have been life-saving, the doctors involved or the hospital can be sued for wrongful death.
Dealing with a wrongful death by the hands of a physician or hospital is a difficult thing for any family to go through. After all, patients place their lives into the hands of these trained individuals and expect them to give the best quality of care. For family members wondering how to proceed with a wrongful death lawsuit, a consultation with a legal team is advised. A wrongful death lawyer, like Patterson Bray, can be invaluable to the outcome of this type of case.