Oregonians frequently entrust their lives with medical professionals due to their education, experience and expertise in the medical field. However, medical professionals are subject to human error just like anyone else. Unfortunately, when medical professionals make errors, they can greatly harm a patient.
Wrongful death
A wrongful death action is a legal action that is brought by the loved ones or a personal representative of the deceased when it is asserted that their death was due to the negligent or intentional acts of another. Oftentimes, these suits are brought following a car accident, homicide, workplace accident or police killing. They can arise in medical malpractice cases as well.
Medical malpractice
In simple terms, a medical malpractice action can arise when a doctor, nurse or any type of medical professional provides care that is below the accepted standard of professional care, resulting in the harm or death of a patient. Common forms of medical malpractice include misdiagnosis, medication mistakes, surgical errors and medical errors made during pregnancy or childbirth that result in harm to the mother or child.
Because some forms of medical malpractice can lead to the death of a patient, it is possible that one could have a claim that involves both medical malpractice and wrongful death.
Each of these is a very complicated area of the law on their own. When combined, they can make for highly technical lawsuits.
These cases are hard in many ways, but they can be crucial for helping the injured and their families in the aftermath of a terrible injury.