When discussing surgical errors, it is important to understand that not every negative outcome represents medical malpractice. But there are certain incidents that are known in the health field as “never events” because they are the kind of surgical error that is never supposed to happen. Unfortunately, they happen thousands of times per year, and when they do they can cause great harm and even death. These are the mistakes that represent medical malpractice, and if you have been a victim of this type of preventable mistake, then you may be entitled to compensation for the injury that you have suffered. The compassionate Philadelphia surgical errors lawyer at the law firm of Bochetto & Lentz have extensive experience in helping victims to get the justice they deserve. Call us today for information on how we can help you.
Reports in the news have indicated that in the past twenty years there have been over ten thousand incidents of surgical errors for which plaintiffs have sued and won medical malpractice cases, representing over $1.3 billion in medical malpractice payments to victims. Some of the most common of these events include:
- Performing the wrong procedure on a patient
- Operating on the wrong body part
- Leaving foreign objects inside of patients’ bodies
- Negligent sanitary preparation for surgery
- Negligent use of surgical tools
- Negligent damage to body parts that are not being operated on
Each of these types of errors fall into the category of medical malpractice, which is defined as a medical error that falls below the level of care that would reasonably be expected of a health care provider with similar training, specialty, in the same area and under similar circumstances. In proving a medical malpractice surgical error case, a surgical errors lawyer is likely to not only use your medical records as evidence, but also to call on another qualified physician to testify as to the care that you received and whether it represents the norm or the expected standard of care that patients should be receiving.
Having a skilled surgical errors attorney working as your advocate will make all the difference in your ability to recover the compensation that you deserve for the damages that you have suffered. These damages may include the outlay of funds that you have already paid for your medical bills and that you can expect to pay in the future, lost wages present or anticipated, the value of any pain and suffering that you endured and may expect to endure in the future, living expenses, transportation expenses, and more. Your immediate family members may also file for loss of consortium or for the loss of your wages if they were dependent upon them, as well as for the loss of any household support that you can no longer provide. At Bochetto & Lentz, we are well aware of how traumatic being a victim of a surgical error can be, and we will work hard to ensure that those responsible are made to pay.
Learn more about our Philadelphia Surgical Errors Lawyer HERE.
