Doctors do not lightly recommend that patients undergo surgery. Indeed, surgery is often the last option when other conservative treatments have failed to alleviate an illness or injury. Patients are understandably nervous about having surgery, but few believe they will end up worse off when wheeled out of the operating room than when they went in.
According to one study, thousands of surgical errors are committed each year. Surgery is inherently risky, and sometimes injury is unavoidable. However, many surgical mistakes are entirely preventable if hospitals and surgical teams take necessary precautions. If you believe a surgical error has harmed you, contact Hersh Kirtman Injury Law today. Our Boca Raton surgical error lawyers can review the facts of your case to advise you on how we can help.
What Are the Most Common Surgical Errors in Boca Raton, Florida?
Many things can go wrong, including:
- Wrong-site surgery: The surgeon might remove the wrong lung, for example, or the wrong breast. Not only does the patient lose healthy tissue or limbs, but they need a second surgery to address the reason why they were wheeled into the operating room in the first place.
- Wrong patient surgery: A surgeon will perform the wrong surgery on a patient, often due to a mix-up of patient records.
- Leaving foreign bodies behind: A surgical team can neglect to remove sponges, clamps, or other implements when they sew up a patient.
- Infection: A surgical team could spread infection during surgery, which becomes very difficult to treat.
- Nerve damage: Surgeons can damage healthy nerves when they perform surgery poorly. Some of this damage is permanent.
- Internal bleeding: Surgeons should be aware when they have nicked or cut an artery, and they should cauterize it before sewing up a patient. If not, a patient can suffer a lethal loss of blood pressure.
- Post-operative mistakes: A surgeon should follow up with a patient and address any complications in a prompt manner.
These mistakes have many causes: poor communication, overwork, drug or alcohol addiction, and unnecessary distraction. Of course, to injured patients, the cause is beside the point. If you need a Boca Raton surgical error lawyer, call us today for a free consultation to discuss your case further.
Compensation for Victims of Surgical Errors
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed by a medical provider’s surgical error, you could have a medical malpractice claim against the parties who caused or failed to recognize them. The claim may be brought to recover damages for the harm caused by the surgical error. Some of the potentially recoverable damages include:
- Medical bills in the past
- Medical bills in the future
- Loss of consortium or companionship
- Past lost wages
- Future lost wages
- Loss of earning potential in the future
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Worsened quality of life
- Pain and suffering
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Emotional distress
Florida’s medical malpractice laws make it difficult to recover damages caused by surgical error on your own. A surgical error attorney from Hersh Kirtman Injury Law can advise you whether you have a claim that makes sense to pursue, and if so, what potential damages can be recovered.
The Statute of Limitations for Surgical Error Claims in Florida
There is a two-year statute of limitations in surgical error claims. The timeframe in which you may pursue a claim for medical malpractice arising from surgical errors can extend up to four years, especially in cases where the injury or error was not immediately known or discoverable.
This statute of limitations provides the victim an opportunity to pursue a claim and take legal action. However, the statute of limitations period does not allow nearly as much time as it seems. It can take many months to gather all of the relevant medical records and then even more time to find an expert witness who will support your claim, which is needed before a medical malpractice case for surgical errors can be formally brought.
If you or someone you love has been the victim of a surgical error, do not wait to contact an attorney to figure out if you have a case. A Hersh Kirtman Injury Law attorney can review the facts of your situation and advise you whether pursuing a medical malpractice case is worthwhile, and what damages could potentially be recovered.
How Can a Boca Raton Surgical Errors Lawyer Help My Case?
Our Boca Raton surgical error attorney assists those who believe they were victimized by a botched surgery. For one thing, few hospitals or surgeons will admit when something has gone wrong.
We attempt to find evidence that a surgeon or surgical team was negligent and caused your injuries. This is a difficult claim to bring in Florida, which has passed many laws to protect the medical community from lawsuits. Victims must meet certain deadlines and support their case with expert medical testimony before being able to even file a lawsuit. Let us help you.
Please contact us as soon as possible to improve your odds of prevailing in your case and to ensure it is not barred by the statute of limitations period. By giving our team sufficient time, we have a better chance to collect and analyze evidence, find the right expert witness for your case, and pursue justice on your behalf. Contact a lawyer from Hersh Kirtman Injury Law if you think you or a loved one was harmed by surgical error.
Were You Injured in an Operating Room? Call Our Boca Raton Surgical Errors Attorney for Help
If you or a loved one have been subjected to medical malpractice in Boca Raton, you don’t have to take on the legal side of these challenging times on your own. An attorney from Hersh Kirtman Injury Law can provide the care and support you deserve after being harmed by a medical provider. Our lawyers have the resources and understand the legal strategies necessary to increase your odds of success in a medical malpractice case resulting from surgical error.
A medical malpractice claim should seek to provide necessary compensation to victims. These claims are also necessary for forcing doctors and hospitals to do better by patients. To schedule a meeting with our Boca Raton medical malpractice attorney, call us at (561) 208-3700 or contact us here today.
