Knoxville Emergency Room Error Attorney
Hospital emergency rooms provide immediate care to those suffering from medical emergencies, including heart attacks, gunshot wounds, and serious brain injuries. These are hectic places, with doctors, nurses, physician assistants, and clerical staff running around to treat as many people as possible.
Unfortunately, given the nature of emergency rooms, many mistakes happen. If you were injured by substandard care, contact a Knoxville emergency room error attorney today at Atkins Brezina, PLLC.
Types of Emergency Room Errors
A patient could easily die or be seriously injured through any of the following mistakes:
- Failure to admit
- Delayed treatment
- Improper assessment of patient’s condition
- Ordering the wrong tests
- Reading test results inaccurately
- Failing to consult with other doctors or specialists
- Medication errors
- Paperwork errors
- Surgical errors and complications
- Failing to monitor a patient
- Premature discharge
- Infections
Many of these errors stem from emergency room staff being overwhelmed and not having sufficient processes in place for monitoring patients. Other errors might stem from doctor inexperience and inadequate supervision or oversight.
Compensation for Emergency Room Errors
Hospitals and their employees must provide competent care to those who come into the emergency room requesting treatment. Under federal law, an emergency room cannot turn you away because you lack insurance or cannot pay.
Sadly, many hospital emergency rooms are understaffed and poorly managed. Preventable errors happen with some regularity. When a patient does not receive adequate treatment, they probably have a claim for medical malpractice.
Our clients are eligible to receive damages for:
- Medical bills. If your condition deteriorates, you will need additional medical care, surgery, rehab, and other treatment.
- Lost income. With proper treatment, you might have recovered in a week or two. Because of negligence, our clients often miss months of work.
- Pain and suffering. Medical errors end up causing pain, impair organs, and reduce a person’s quality of life. When errors lead to disfigurement, impotency, or disability, then patients suffer immensely.
If a loved one unfortunately died, you might be able to pursue a wrongful death claim.
Hospitals Aggressively Fight Emergency Room Error Claims
In an ideal world, hospitals would own up to their mistakes and pay compensation willingly. Unfortunately, many Knoxville hospitals prefer to play hardball. It might be a struggle to obtain copies of patient records or to interview hospital staff to find out what happened.
If you were very sick, everything might have been a blur. We do not expect patients to come in with a transcript of what transpired in the emergency room. A skilled attorney knows how to uncover helpful information and get hospitals to cough up important documents.
Hospitals and doctors raise many defenses in these cases. But one common refrain is that they performed good enough care under the hectic circumstances. Tennessee law does not require that doctors be perfect, which is true. However, expert witnesses might agree that the care offered in the emergency room fell below the required standard.
Call Atkins Brezina, PLLC Today
To learn more about your ability to sue a doctor or hospital, contact our Knoxville medical malpractice attorney today. He has represented many injured men, women, and children and will gladly meet to discuss your experience in a hospital. Our consultations are free.
