Negligent Hospital Staff

When people go to the hospital, they expect to receive adequate medical care that will improve their condition. Unfortunately, some patients are treated by negligent hospital staff that may worsen their condition and prolong their suffering. Doctors, nurses, technicians, and other hospital staff can make a number of mistakes that may compromise a patient's health. When accidents occur, the negligent party should be held accountable for their actions.

Common Hospital Mistakes

Mistakes occur quite frequently in hospitals. Hospitals that are understaffed typically over-work their employees, which results in a higher risk for error. Commonly reported hospital mistakes include:

• Failure to correctly diagnose the problem

• Distributing incorrect medications or dosage amounts

• Surgical errors, including: wrong location, or leaving tools in the body

• Improper use of anesthesia

• Birth trauma

• Incorrect reading of blood tests

• Inadequate monitoring of patient

• Failure to sterilize equipment, resulting in infections

• Defective machinery

If you or someone you love has suffered from a negligent hospital staff member, you deserve compensation for your losses. When medical care professionals make mistakes, the hospital is liable for any additional suffering they inflicted on the patient.

Damages

When a suit is filed against a hospital for negligence, the plaintiff must be able to prove that all of the criteria of negligence were met. Afterwards, they may negotiate a settlement amount in order to compensate the victim for their losses. This is typically a monetary sum that covers any additional medical treatment the victim may need, as well as pain and suffering, lost wages, and other related expenses.

In the event of a wrongful death suit, the family of the victim may sue the hospital for more compensation. Generally, wrongful death suits result in monetary compensation for the victim's medical expenses as well as pecuniary damages. Pecuniary damages are comprised of the victim's future wages and their future net worth. This is calculated by determining how much money the deceased would have earned throughout his or her lifetime.

Filing a Suit

Because of the depth and complexity of medical malpractice suits, most law firms will evaluate the details of your case during a free consultation prior to accepting clients. During this process you should expect to discuss the event, records, and results of your experience while in the hospital.

For more information about how to take legal action against a negligent hospital staff, contact the Oklahoma medical malpractice attorneys of the Abel Law Firm today.