Hospitals have duty to ensure their patients’ safety. When hospital staff fail to adhere to appropriate standards of treatment, victims can suffer serious injuries and illnesses. For example, a patient may be hurt because hospital staff failed to monitor their condition or conduct follow-up care.
Victims of hospital negligence can recover payment for the harm they incurred. However, defendants may employ various strategies to refute plaintiffs’ cases. The assistance of our Queens hospital negligence lawyers can be highly beneficial when building your case and negotiating for fair compensation.
If you were injured because of hospital negligence in Queens, get help pursuing the monetary damages you deserve. Reach out to our experienced Queens hospital negligence lawyers by calling The Carrion Law Firm at (718) 841-0083. Our attorneys will review your case for free.
Common Types of Medical Malpractice Claims in Queens, NY
Medical malpractice is an umbrella term encompassing many types of errors that a medical professional can commit. Doctors and other medical professionals must follow the standard of care other medical professionals would provide under the circumstances. However, there are many ways that a doctor’s care can fall below this standard. When it does, the negligent medical practitioner could be held accountable for the injuries they caused.
Failure to Diagnose
A doctor’s failure to diagnose is one of Queens’s most common causes of medical malpractice. A failure to diagnose can lead to the victim not receiving necessary or life-saving treatment. For instance, if a doctor fails to diagnose a patient’s cancer properly, crucial time could be lost, and irreparable damage could be caused before getting the correct diagnosis.
Surgical Errors
Surgical errors are a type of medical malpractice that people tend to be most familiar with. Common surgical errors include accidentally nicking a nerve or an artery or getting an infection from a surgical team member improperly sanitizing before a procedure.
While it is normal to experience pain after surgery, extreme or long-lasting discomfort might be evidence of deeper harm. Sometimes, a surgeon might assure a patient that their pain is normal to conceal their negligence. However, another medical expert could provide a second opinion to help determine how the surgical error occurred.
Misdiagnosis
A misdiagnosis is also a doctor’s failure to diagnose a patient correctly. The difference, though, is that a patient who is misdiagnosed usually receives treatment that is not useful or actively harmful. The result can be that the patient’s actual condition is left untreated. It is not uncommon for doctors or nurses to misread lab results and tests, leading them down a treatment path that is irrelevant to the care your need.
Gross Negligence
Gross negligence is those medical malpractice errors that are so egregious as to be unmistakable to a patient. These cases tend to be the cause of the most serious malpractice injuries. For instance, if a surgeon reads a patient’s chart wrong, they could operate on the wrong part of the body or on a completely different patient that did not need the operation. An extreme but not inconceivable example would be an amputation surgery for a patient that did not require it. Our Queens medical malpractice attorneys have experience with various medical malpractice cases and can help you recover compensation for your accident.
Pressure Ulcers/Bedsores
Pressure ulcers, more commonly known as bedsores, are a common type of injury caused by hospital negligence. This is a type of skin condition that usually develops because of pressure, friction, or dry skin. Pressure ulcers can be very painful and may cause victims to suffer from severe immobility.
Hospital patients can develop pressure ulcers because they were not properly monitored. Thorough skin assessments should be completed on regular basis. Patients who develop pressure ulcers because of hospital negligence may be entitled to monetary damages.
Sepsis and Hospital-Acquired Infections
Sepsis is one of the leading causes of death in hospitals. It is a condition caused by severe infection that leads to inflammation throughout the body. Victims who suffer from sepsis may experience impaired blood flow to many vital organs.
A patient may develop sepsis because hospital staff failed to provide a sterile and sanitary environment. Furthermore, symptoms associated with sepsis can worsen if early signs are missed. Our Queens hospital negligence lawyers can help victims with sepsis and hospital acquired infections evaluate the strength of their potential cases.
Medication Errors
Medication errors are another common form of medical malpractice that arises in Queens. There are multiple different types of negligent actions that may constitute such an error:
- Giving the wrong medication to the wrong patient
- Administering the wrong dose of a harmful medication
- Mislabeling a medication
- Administering a medication that interacts negatively with other medications the patient is taking
- Administering a medication to which the patient is allergic
- Failing to warn of potentially harmful side effects associated with a certain medication
If someone was injured because their doctor made any of the aforementioned mistakes, they may be entitled to monetary damages. During a free case assessment, our experienced lawyers can help an injured patient determine the proper course of action.
Childbirth Injuries
Lastly, many victims of medical malpractice also suffer childbirth injuries. These injuries can happen because of a physician’s careless mistakes made at several points during pregnancy. The following are examples of negligent conduct that cause childbirth injuries:
- Ordering an unnecessary or improper cesarean section
- Inappropriate handling of umbilical cords
- Careless use of forceps
- Inappropriate reaction to signs of fetal distress
These forms of medical malpractice can cause injuries for both pregnant mothers and their children. In such cases, our Queens attorneys for a medical malpractice referral can help victims pursue the financial compensation they deserve.
Slip and Fall Injuries
Slip and fall injuries are also a common type of harm caused by hospital negligence. Patients can suffer slip and fall accidents because of dangerous conditions that are created or left unattended by hospital staff. For example, the following are all potential caused of patient falls:
- Lack of bed rails
- Slippery floors
- Uneven floors
- Poor lighting
- Failure to provide non-slip socks
- Failure to provide non-slip mats for patients at a high risk of falling
- Loose rugs
- Cluttered floors
- Narrow staircases
If you suffered a slip and fall at a hospital, our Queens hospital negligence lawyers can help build your case. You may be able to recover multiple forms of payment related to the harm you incurred.
Burns
Lastly, burns are also a common type of injury related to hospital negligence. There are many forms of careless conduct that can cause patients to suffer burn injuries. For example, a patient may suffer burns because they were exposed to heating pads at dangerously hot levels. Furthermore, a patient may suffer a burn injury because hospital staff failed to measure the temperature of a bath. Our attorneys can help victims obtain payment for any burns they suffered because of hospital negligence.
Common Types of Injuries Caused by Medical Malpractice in Queens, NY
Medical malpractice is responsible for some of the most severe injuries in personal injury lawsuits. The type of injuries a victim could suffer because of a negligent medical professional might result in additional medical treatment and procedures, further driving up your medical expenses. The following are some common types of injuries caused by medical malpractice in Queens:
- Overdoses
- Allergic reactions
- Infections
- Childbirth injuries
These types of injuries can easily lead to complications in the future. Our Queens medical malpractice attorneys can help you hold the negligent healthcare provider accountable for the injuries they caused.
Examples of Hospital Negligence that Occur in Queens
Hospital negligence occurs when a hospital staff fails follow appropriate standards of care. Victims can suffer severe injuries and undergo unnecessary treatments. There are many different types of careless conduct that can constitute hospital negligence. The following are common examples of hospital negligence that occur in Queens:
Mistakes Made by Hospital Staff
Many hospital patients are injured because of careless mistakes made by hospital employees like nurses and medical technicians. Examples of such errors include the following:
- Failure to offer post-discharge instructions
- Failure to administer follow-up treatment
- Negligent triage
- Taking an insufficient patient history
- Failure to monitor a patient’s injury or illness
- Failure to administer a proper physical exam or patient assessment
- Failure to maintain sterile or sanitary conditions
- Lack of proper communication between members of a patient care team
If you believe you were injured because of negligent mistakes made by a hospital’s staff, you should contact our Queens hospital negligence lawyers right away. Our team can help take the appropriate steps toward compensation.
Negligent Hiring and Retention Practices
Negligent hiring practices are also a form of hospital negligence. Hospitals can be sued for injuries that occur because they overlooked certain facts that suggested that their prospective employee posed a risk of causing harm. Further, harm may occur because a hospital failed to terminate a staff member who demonstrated a repeated inability to perform their duties. Our experienced attorneys can investigate whether a hospital’s negligent hiring and retention practices led to your injury.
Inadequate Staffing
Furthermore, inadequate staffing is another form of hospital negligence. For example, a patient may be injured because of a hospital’s conscious failure to provide enough staff members. In that case, our Queens hospital negligence lawyers could help sue the hospital for inadequate staffing.
Negligent Training, Supervision
Lastly, hospital negligence can occur when hospitals engage in negligent training, supervision, and retention of their staff members. For example, a patient may be injured because a nurse was not properly trained. Our attorneys can offer guidance and support to victims of such negligence.
Other Medical Professionals Who Could Be Liable for Medical Malpractice in Queens, NY
Some people might not realize that other healthcare professionals besides doctors can be held liable for causing injuries through medical malpractice. Hospitals and doctors’ offices rely on many practitioners to do their job with care and professionalism. There are numerous phases in which your medical malpractice injuries could have occurred depending on the treatment you were undergoing at the time. The following is a list of other healthcare providers whose negligence could cause medical malpractice in Queens:
- Orthopedists
- Physical therapists
- Radiologists
- Nurses
- Nurse practitioners
- Emergency room doctors and staff
- Anesthesiologists
- Chiropractors
- Ophthalmologists
- Physician Assistants
- Pharmacists
- Gynecologists
- Dentists
- Specialists
- Physician Assistants
- Medical facilities
You deserve the utmost care regardless of the type of medical professional providing you with treatment. Our Queens medical malpractice attorneys can help you hold the responsible party accountable for causing you further harm.
Types of Damages Available to Victims of Hospital Negligence in Queens
There are multiple forms of compensation available to plaintiffs in hospital negligence lawsuits. The types of monetary damages awarded in your case will depend on the extent of harm caused by your injury. Any of the following damages may be sought:
- Medical expenses
- Lost income
- Pain and suffering
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Punitive damages
- Property damage
During your free case assessment, our Queens hospital negligence lawyers can help explain which of the aforementioned damages may be available to you.
Time Limit to File a Queens, NY Medical Malpractice Lawsuit
New York’s time limit to file a lawsuit for medical malpractice is known as the statute of limitations. While most personal injury claims are given three years to be filed, under C.V.P. Law § 214(a), medical malpractice lawsuits must be filed within two and a half years. The clock typically starts running on the date the malpractice injuries occurred or at the end of your treatment from the doctor or medical professional who committed the malpractice.
There are exceptions to the deadline, however. New York’s discovery rule might allow you additional time to file your lawsuit if you did not discover the malpractice injuries immediately. For instance, if a surgeon left a foreign body in you after surgery, the statute of limitations would not start to run until the date the foreign body was discovered. However, in most cases, your lawsuit will be dismissed if you do not file before the two-and-a-half-year deadline. Our Queens medical malpractice attorneys can help you identify the statute of limitations in your case and ensure that your case is filed in a timely manner.
Queens Medical Malpractice Case Referrals
There are generally two scenarios that will arise requiring an attorney to refer a medical malpractice case. Our lawyers are prepared to accept either of the following types of referrals:
Referrals from Lawyers in Other Fields
Most lawyers will focus on specific areas of practice. Accordingly, when they are approached by clients with less familiar legal issues, they may refer the clients to attorneys who can more effectively address their needs. Our Queens attorneys for a medical malpractice referral can accept cases as referrals from lawyers in other fields.
Referrals from Lawyers in Other Jurisdictions
Furthermore, our attorneys can also accept medical malpractice cases as referrals from lawyers in other jurisdictions. Typically, these types of lawsuits should be filed where the malpractice occurred. Out-of-state lawyers can contact our team for assistance with cases involving patients who were injured in Queens.
Our Queens Medical Malpractice Attorneys Can Help
If you or your child has been injured because of a medical professional’s negligence, our Queens medical malpractice attorneys can help you get justice for your negligent care. Call The Carrion Law Firm at (718) 841-0083 for a free case review.