Ponchatoula Emergency Room Errors Lawyer
Emergency rooms play a vital role in saving lives. While most patients are appropriately examined and treated in emergency rooms, mistakes and errors can occur. These mistakes can cause anything from minor damage to tissues to life-threatening infections and the failure to diagnose diseases. If you believe your doctor or medical staff made a mistake when providing treatment, a knowledgeable Ponchatoula emergency room errors lawyer can help you fight to recover damages.
Legal Standard of Care in Emergency Rooms
In Louisiana, medical professionals are required to use a reasonable standard of care in treating patients. This reasonable standard is the degree of knowledge or skill ordinarily exercised by other medical professionals in the same field. If a medical professional’s care deviates from what is accepted in their practice community and it led to injuries, they may have committed medical malpractice.
Common Causes and Types of Emergency Room Errors in Ponchatoula
Emergency room errors can result from a variety of factors with common issues including inadequate information flow and communication problems, staffing patterns and workflow, as well as inadequate policies within the hospital. Each emergency room error is unique, but some common errors include:
- Delay in treatment or inadequate follow-up after treatment
- Medication errors
- Hospital-acquired infections
- Missed or delayed diagnosis
- Misdiagnosis
- Infections
- Surgical errors
- Paralysis
- Brain damage
- Blindness
- Death
Filing an Emergency Room Errors Case
In Louisiana, there are several elements of medical malpractice that must be proven to recover from an emergency room error claim against private, public, or state healthcare providers. Proving a medical malpractice claim requires establishing the reasonable standard of care in the case and industry, the medical professional then violated that same standard of care, and that the breach of the duty caused injuries that otherwise would not have occurred.
Caps on Damages
In personal injury cases, some states place a limit or cap on the amount or type of damages a person can receive. For cases in Ponchatoula, caps on damages from medical malpractice claims, when the medical professional is a qualified healthcare provider pursuant to LSA R.S. 40:1237.2, et seq. and/or LSA R.S. 40:1231.8 et seq.. and claims against a government agency are set at $500,000. This cap does not apply to future medical expenses.
Statute of Limitations
Louisiana also has a statute of limitations that requires victims of ER errors to file a claim for medical malpractice within one year of the date they become aware of their injury. Emergency room error cases are complex, but local emergency room error attorneys have both the legal experience and medical knowledge necessary to provide the dedicated representation needed to secure the best possible outcome in each case.
Reach out to a Ponchatoula Attorney Today
Doctors, nurses, and all medical professionals have a responsibility to provide patient care that falls within an acceptable standard. When these professionals fail to live up to that standard, they put patients at risk. If you suffered harm in an emergency room due to errors as the result of someone else’s negligence, a Ponchatoula emergency room error lawyer could help you manage your case. Contact an attorney to learn about your legal options.