Nearly every Oregon resident has heard horror stories about mistakes that happened to patients while under the care of medical personnel. The stories can be hard to believe, but the documents filed in courthouses across the country verify that the doctor errors actually occurred. Below are just a few of the more frightening and appalling instances of medical malpractice that happened around the country.
One man suffering from abdominal pain was taken in for surgery. Somehow, the anesthetic that would have rendered him unconscious was not administered. Two weeks after the procedure, the man committed suicide because he could not shake the memories of the pain, pressure and horror of being conscious during the procedure.
After having a tumor removed from his abdomen, it was discovered that a Washington man had a 13-inch medical retractor in his abdomen that the surgeon left behind. A Florida patient went into surgery to have a leg amputated. Unfortunately, the surgeon removed the wrong leg.
Another woman was told that she had terminal cancer. Doctors told her that if they removed a portion of her chin where there was supposedly a tumor, she would live longer. After the procedure, it was discovered that the cancer diagnosis was wrong. She never had cancer and was left permanently disfigured.
Sadly, these stories are not as unique as Oregon residents might like. Doctor errors occur far too often, which leaves the victims permanently injured, disabled and/or disfigured. In some cases, patients die from the mistakes made by doctors, surgeons and other medical personnel. Victims and/or their families retain the right to file medical malpractice claims in the aftermath of these incidents. Successfully establishing that the standard of care received was subpar could result in an award of damages to help with the unexpected financial burdens incurred by unsuspecting patients and their families.
Source: healthaim.com, “Medical Malpractice: The Most Disturbing Medical Errors Worldwide”, Darwin Malicdem, July 8, 2016