Medical Malpractice

Despite the advanced medical technologies and the high level of training required of health care professionals, instances of medical mistakes are alarmingly high. As many as 98,000 patients may die each year due to medical malpractice, according to a recent study by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. When death or serious injuries occur as a result of a physician’s negligence, victims suffer long-term physical, emotional, and financial damages.

The medical malpractice attorneys at Wilson, Johnson and Zuber will fight for victims of negligent medical care. If you suspect that you or a family member is the victim of medical malpractice or medical negligence, contact our offices immediately. You may be entitled to financial compensation.

Medical negligence occurs when a physician or health care provider fails to do what a reasonably careful, similarly licensed physician should have done in the same scenario. Medical malpractice occurs when a health care professional fails to do something they should have done in treating a patient or when a physician does something that a reasonably careful, similarly licensed physician would not do. Examples of medical malpractice and medical negligence include:

• Hospital Mistakes and Negligence
• Failure to Diagnose/Misdiagnosis
• Emergency Room Negligence
• Birth Injury
• Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse
• Wrongful Death
• Surgical Injuries

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Recent Medical Malpractice Verdicts and Settlements

$3.2 million – hospital negligence

$620,000 – hospital negligence

$620,000 – hospital negligence

Check out our other recent settlements and verdicts

Hospital Mistakes and Negligence

Hospital mistakes can occur due to medical negligence on the part of a doctor, nurse, or another health care professional. According to an Institute of Medicine report, hospital mistakes account for 48 percent of medical malpractice claims. About 70 percent of all medical errors are believed to be preventable. This report also lists the causes of errors as:

• Technical errors – 44%
• Misdiagnosis – 17%
• Failure to prevent injury – 12%
• Medication errors – 10%

Common hospital mistakes that could lead to serious injury or wrongful death include:

• Incorrect prescriptions, medication errors – This includes pharmacist mistakes, improper dosages, administering errors on the part of the nurse, and physician errors such as prescribing the wrong medication.
• Surgical errors – Mistakes made in the operating room can include wrong-site surgery, wrong surgical procedure, wrong-patient surgery, and surgical instruments left in the patient's body.
• Obstetrical mistakes – Obstetrical mistakes may include failure to diagnose fetal distress, misreading of the fetal distress monitor, and failure to treat complications.

Negligence occurs when a hospital does not provide basic care or fails to adhere to the proper safety precautions which protect their patients. If you or a family member is the victim of hospital mistakes or negligence, contact Wilson, Johnson and Zuber.

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Emergency Room Negligence

Emergency room errors represent nearly half of all medical malpractice injuries. Emergency rooms are among the most stressful worksites in the health care profession. Patients requiring emergency treatment may experience fatal errors due to understaffed or ill-equipped hospitals or if a health care professional fails to take the necessary steps in treatment.

In emergency rooms, like no other place in medicine, it is critical that health care professionals maintain a high standard of care. Unfortunately, emergency rooms are the site of numerous medical accidents each year. These accidents may result in unnecessary, permanent disabilities, or even wrongful death.

Contact our Philadelphia medical malpractice attorneys if you or a family member has been the victim of emergency room negligence.

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Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse

According to a recent National Research Council Panel study, it is estimated that between one and two million Americans age 65 or older have been injured or mistreated by someone who they depended on for care and protection.

The country’s fastest growing segment of the population is the elderly. This has created a dramatic increase in the number of individuals who rely on long-term medical care facilities for treatment and care. As a result, devastating cases of neglect and abuse have become more common at nursing home facilities, often not properly and adequately staffed. At Wilson, Johnson and Zuber, our experienced trial lawyers defend victim’s rights and will take action against responsible parties.

Nursing home neglect includes:

• Failure to provide appropriate food, clothing, and shelter
• Failure to provide appropriate medical care
• Failure to assist in personal hygiene
• Failure to prevent or treat malnutrition and dehydration
• Failure to prevent falls

Nursing home abuse includes:

• Development of bed sores and ulcers
• Injuries resulting from restraint or lack of restraint
• Unexplained or unexpected death
• Broken bones or unexplained falls
• Open wounds, cuts, bruises, or welts
• Excessive or rapid weight loss

Reporting Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect

If you suspect that you or someone you love has been injured as a result of nursing home abuse or negligence, immediately document and report the problem. Report nursing home neglect or abuse to:

• The facility’s administrator, director of nursing, and social worker
• Your state’s Nursing Home Administrators Board (Pennsylvania)
• The local police or state law enforcement
• Wilson, Johnson and Zuber, Trial Lawyers

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Surgical Injuries

Surgical procedures are often complex and subject to various errors. With any surgery there are certain known complications or risks that are unavoidable. However, sometimes errors may be made in the administration of surgery. These errors include:

• Wrong-patient mistakes
• Wrong-site mistakes
• Wrong blood type transfusions
• Infections caused by surgery
• Anesthesia mistakes
• Surgical instruments left inside patient’s body

When surgeons fail to provide adequate care during a surgical procedure, the effects on a patient can be devastating. If you or a family member has been the victim of a surgical mistake, please contact Wilson, Johnson and Zuber and arrange a consultation today. Our experienced medical malpractice lawyers can help you receive compensation for your injury.

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Failure to Diagnose/Misdiagnosis

Misdiagnosis can be one of the most costly medical errors. Mistakes lead to delayed, omitted, or inappropriate medical treatments. Misdiagnosis is common, with error rates ranging from 1.4 percent in cancer biopsies to a 20 to 40 percent misdiagnosis rate in emergency or ICU care. Reasons for misdiagnosis include errors by doctors, specialists, and laboratory tests.

Common diagnosis problems:

• Misdiagnosis – Diagnosis of the wrong disease.
• Failure to diagnose – Many medical malpractice lawsuits are caused by the failure to diagnose conditions such as heart attack, breast cancer, appendicitis, lung cancer, and colon cancer.
• Complications not diagnosed - An important aspect of the diagnosis is to also diagnose any complications this disease may have caused or will cause. This may mean the need for extra diagnostic tests, ongoing screening, and perhaps visits to a specialist.
• Underlying or associated diseases not diagnosed – Underlying or associated conditions may be diagnosed in addition to the original conditions.

Cancer Misdiagnosis

Cancer misdiagnosis occurs when a doctor or medical staff does not detect or treat any form of cancer early or aggressively enough. Cancer misdiagnosis can also occur when a physician does not test for cancer when obvious cancer signs are present or when a doctor attributes the symptoms to another condition. When a cancer misdiagnosis occurs:

• The risk of death increases dramatically
• The cost of treating later stage cancers skyrocket

When cancer is diagnosed early, the treatment and survival rate increases significantly. If you or a loved one is the victim of misdiagnosis or a failure to diagnose, contact our Philadelphia medical malpractice attorneys today.

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Birth Injury

Birth injuries are physical injuries or deformities that are the direct result of childbirth. Almost three percent of babies born in America suffer birth defects. Serious birth injuries may subject the child to a lifelong disability. Often these injuries are avoidable.

Birth injuries result from an array of medical errors, including:

• Birth complications
• Infection
• Fetal distress
• Umbilical cord entrapment
• Bleeding
• Improper use of medications
• Delay in ordering c-section
• Damage caused by forceps

Common birth injuries include:

• Cerebral palsy
• Brain or spinal cord damage
• Oxygen deprivation
• Bone fractures
• Mental retardation
• Bruising and skin irritation
• Erb’s palsy
• Paralysis
• Klumpke’s palsy
• Infections
• Brachial plexus
• Internal bleeding
• Injury due to forceps
• Wrongful death

If your child suffered a birth injury due to an error by the medical staff, you may be eligible for compensation. Contact Wilson, Johnson and Zuber, Trial Lawyers today.

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Wrongful Death

According to a recent study by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, as many as 98,000 patients may die each year because of medical malpractice. Wrongful death due to medical malpractice occurs when a patient’s death is a direct result of the negligence of health care professionals. Wrongful death claims are usually sought after by relatives, siblings, or members of the decedent’s estate who have suffered damages as a result of the wrongful death.

You may be able to file a medical malpractice wrongful death suit if:

• You have suffered substantial loss of income or benefits because of the victim’s death.
• You have lost inheritance due to the wrongful death of the victim

For more information on wrongful death, take a look at our catastrophic injuries page. Contact our medical malpractice attorneys today if someone you know has wrongfully died. We will evaluate your case and fight for you. Contact Wilson, Johnson and Zuber for a free case evaluation.

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