Everybody hopes they never have to deal with an incapacitating injury. This is especially the case if the person who caused your injury was someone you relied on for medical care. As tragic as it is, thousands of Americans are injured or killed every year because of medical mistakes. In this article, we will be discussing medical malpractice and incapacitating injuries.
What Is an Incapacitating Injury?
Otherwise known as a catastrophic injury, an incapacitating injury is one that prevents a person from ever working or enjoying life to the same extent they did before their accident. These frequently involve permanent disabilities or other devastating consequences.
Common Medical Mistakes that Lead to Incapacitating Injuries
Medical malpractice occurs when a medical professional fails to provide their patients with the level of care they should receive, resulting in injury. Here are a few examples of how a seemingly harmless medical treatment could go horribly wrong.
Surgical Errors
No operation is completely risk-free because of the inherent nature of humans to commit errors. Mistakes can and do happen in the operating room. A surgeon could accidentally operate on the wrong organ or even person. Factors contributing to this include a lack of communication, exhaustion, inadequate preoperative planning, substance abuse, or carelessness.
Misdiagnosis
Accidental misdiagnosis of potentially fatal illnesses can have catastrophic results. Cardiovascular diseases and cancer are two of the most frequently misdiagnosed conditions. Medical professionals have an obligation to detect cancer early and treat it effectively. The prognosis for cancer patients improves if they are diagnosed earlier. Delaying treatment gives the cancer time to spread, resulting in the patient’s untimely death.
Medication Errors
Prescription errors are one of the most prevalent medical errors, affecting at least 1.5 million patients annually. These terrible mistakes frequently occur because of miscommunication, incorrect labels, and inadequate instructions.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries can be permanently disabling and are often caused by surgical errors, complications, or mistaken diagnoses, such as an erroneous spinal block or anesthesia injection, or a failed diagnosis of a tumor that presses on the spinal cord.
Loss of Limb
When a patient suffers an amputation due to medical malpractice, it could have been brought on by different mistakes. For instance, if a sponge is accidentally left within a patient’s body after surgery, they may develop an infection that cannot be cured with antibiotics and require amputation. A patient who suffers a wrongful amputation will have to deal with the event’s psychological, social, and economic consequences for the rest of their lives.
Birth Injuries
A child’s birth is supposed to be the happiest time in a parent’s life. However, the comparative negligence of a physician or other medical practitioner might transform this into a terrifying ordeal for some. Mistakes in prenatal treatment might lead to birthing complications, for instance. Or the doctor’s reaction to a problem that develops during delivery could cause injury to the newborn. Birth injuries can have a negative impact on a child’s health, learning, and development for the rest of their lives.
Brain Injuries
Lack of blood supply or oxygen to the brain is a common cause of brain injuries that result from medical malpractice. The brain can’t function normally without a constant supply of oxygen from the blood. When blood and oxygen supply to the brain is cut off, as in a hemorrhage, a pulmonary embolism, or a stroke, brain damage can occur in a matter of minutes.
Compensation for Incapacitating Injuries Due to Medical Malpractice
Most people who are injured because of medical malpractice are rendered permanently incapacitated and unable to provide for themselves. When medical professionals make mistakes, it can be difficult for not just the patient but their loved ones as well.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured due to medical malpractice, you have the right to seek legal counsel and the compensation you need to help you heal financially, physically, and emotionally. No one should have to deal with the trauma of another person’s mistakes while also worrying about their ability to provide for themselves and their loved ones.
Damages awarded in a malpractice case are meant to compensate for what the injured party has lost because of the doctor’s negligence. Compensation for medical malpractice typically includes the following:
- Economic damages: This includes medical bills, missed income, and other costs and losses related to the injury.
- Non-economic damages: Damages that may be awarded consist of those for mental anguish, disfigurement, physical impairment, and loss of quality of life.
Final Thoughts
If you suspect you were injured because of substandard treatment from a medical provider, consult a medical malpractice lawyer. Attorneys specializing in medical malpractice cases are accustomed to thoroughly examining medical records. They can have your case evaluated by a medical expert who can provide an unbiased, in-depth assessment of the treatment you received and any possible errors that contributed to your injury. A disability lawyer can also help you determine the amount of compensation you deserve for your incapacitating injuries.
Consult with a seasoned Daytona Beach injury lawyer who can evaluate your medical malpractice case and explain your legal alternatives moving forward. Contact our law firm today.
