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Passionate Counsel for Families Whose Loved Ones Died in the Emergency Room
When an Emergency Room patient dies because of improper treatment, our lawyers demand accountability
Patients brought by ambulance to a hospital Emergency Room (ER) are almost always seriously ill or injured, some hovering on the brink of death. Any doctor who has practiced in a large hospital will tell you that the atmosphere in an ER is fast-paced and the work stressful and exhausting, especially when accidents produce multiple victims with multiple injuries. Many patients are brought in with injuries so horrific that death seems inevitable. In most cases, the ER staff’s skill and training spells the difference between life and death.
But there are also occasions when training and skills give way to negligent or substandard treatment. If a death results, it may be termed “wrongful.” For example, an auto accident victim has suffered multiple injuries such as a concussion, scalp lacerations, and internal injuries, but the ER staff concentrates its efforts only on the visible injuries. If the patient were to die because the internal injuries went undiagnosed and untreated, a wrongful death claim could be justifiable.
An experienced South Carolina medical practice attorney from McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC, can substantiate such claims by examining all the related hospital records, examining the ER medical professionals who treated the patient, and summoning expert witnesses to testify about the standards of care in similar circumstances. This helps the jury understand exactly how the standard of care was breached, why and how malpractice was committed, and why the outcome was a fatality.
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Medical errors are made in Emergency Rooms every day
Not every mistake made in the ER causes a patient’s death, but some are more likely to than others:
- Delayed treatment. A patient is admitted and correctly diagnosed but treatment is delayed, or a patient is admitted but left unattended.
- Substandard treatment. This includes multiple injury cases in which incomplete diagnoses are made, and incomplete treatment results. It also includes improper sterile technique leading to sepsis, and administration of incorrect drugs and anesthetics leading to shock.
- Failure to obtain an adequate medical history even when the information is available. Acting without knowing a patient’s age, weight, current medications, allergies, time of last meal, or condition of pregnancy can lead to disastrous outcomes, including administration of medications and anesthetics in the wrong strengths and dosages, anaphylactic shock, fetal injury or death, and the patient’s coma or death.
- Failure to properly monitor a patient. Careful monitoring is critical, especially when the patient presents signs of heart attack or stroke.
In some cases, a healthcare professional may release a patient even when it may be risky to do so.
Trust your case to a South Carolina medical malpractice attorney
If a loved one has died as a result of negligent treatment in a hospital ER, look to the wrongful death attorneys at McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC. Our hard-working, no-nonsense South Carolina medical malpractice attorneys can help you obtain the justice and compensation you deserve.
From our offices Columbia, Anderson, Rock Hill, Sumter, and Georgetown, we proudly serve individuals and families throughout South Carolina. Our attorneys have extensive experience advocating for people whose doctors and hospitals failed to perform according to acceptable standards of care. We are dedicated, driven, and committed to delivering results.
Your medical malpractice case matters to McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC. Call 803-327-7800 today fill out our contact form from any device, and schedule a free case evaluation with a South Carolina medical malpractice lawyer.