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What should you do if you’re hurt at the hospital?

On Behalf of | Nov 24, 2017 | Hospital Negligence |

It should go without saying that people go to hospitals to get better. While most people survive their visits, not everyone does. Sometimes, even those who do leave with injuries that are permanent or painful.

Sadly, many of the injuries people suffer in hospitals are preventable. Those may include surgical errors, medication errors or even infections caused by a dirty environment with poor sterilization procedures. It’s never okay for patients to suffer as a result of neglect, and it’s well within your rights to make sure a hospital pays for any injuries you suffer while you’re in its care.

Take for example this case involving a little girl from 2011. She went into the hospital as a heathy 2-year-old girl, but she came out of the hospital as an amputee. What happened? She had started to develop unusual bruises, but no physician would see her. They waited five hours in an emergency room, and by the time she got to a doctor, she was nearly too far gone to be saved. She was suffering from sepsis.

To save her, she required several amputations, all of which may have been prevented with earlier treatment. They sued the hospital claiming negligence and medical malpractice. They believe the ER wait is what nearly cost her life and led to her extreme injuries. Hospital emergency rooms are required to see patients as quickly as possible. They are not allowed to delay treatments in a way that leads to a catastrophic injury.

If you’re hurt waiting for care or after you receive it, know that you’re not alone. You have a right to pursue a claim.

Source: CNN Health, “Harmed in the hospital? Should you sue?,” Sabriya Rice, accessed Nov. 24, 2017

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