Getting hurt is an almost unavoidable part of childhood. From minor scrapes and bruises to broken bones from sports or falling off a bike, accidents happen. Unfortunately, when parents bring their injured or ill children to hospitals and doctors for medical care, medical errors and negligence can and do occur. If a child should be injured by a doctor or nurse’s negligence, parents may have grounds to pursue legal action against the physician and/or hospital in pursuit of compensation for their child’s suffering.
According to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, 90,000 people lose their lives every year due to medical errors. Unfortunately, children are among these victims.
Some common medical errors involving children include:
- Medication errors: Proper dosage is imperative when medication is being given to children or infants, as well as administering the correct medication. Since a child’s weight, metabolism, and immune system can be far different from that of an adult, incorrect dosages of medications or vaccines can have catastrophic consequences. Brain damage, kidney failure, spinal cord injury, or even death can result in serious cases.
- Errors during surgery: No parent ever wants to see their child go through a risky surgery. As we all know, however, surgery is sometimes a necessary treatment to preserve a child’s life or well-being, forcing parents to place their trust in the surgeon and operating room staff. Unfortunately, botched surgeries, overlooked allergies, tonsillectomy mistakes, unnecessary surgeries, or even catastrophic errors such as operating on the wrong body part may occur.
- Birth injuries: Though childbirth still carries a certain level of danger, modern medical techniques have allowed doctors to mitigate much of this risk through proper prenatal care and safe birthing methods. Negligent care, improper use of instruments, or a failure to identify and diagnose certain medical conditions can cause an infant to suffer life-altering injuries at birth, such as broken bones, spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, Erb’s palsy, and more.
- Wrongful death: Again, due to a child’s fragile nature in comparison to an adult patient, certain errors such as misdiagnosis, hospital-acquired infections, procedural errors, and others may sometimes result in the wrongful death of a child.
Why File a Medical Malpractice Claim?
If it can be proven that your child’s injuries were indeed the result of a medical professional’s negligent actions, or their failure to take action, you may be able to seek full financial recovery for your child’s resulting losses.
While eligible compensation will vary depending on the circumstances, possible damages may include:
- Cost of additional medical care
- Reduced quality of life
- Pain and suffering
- Reduced future earning potential
- Emotional distress
Emergency medical expenses are costly on their own, but if your child’s injuries are long-term or permanent, you also have to take future costs into consideration. If your child is paralyzed, for example, you may have to purchase medical equipment like wheelchairs, invest in physical therapy, and more. Hiring an attorney to pursue financial compensation on your behalf is essential for your family’s future well-being.
Looking Out for Families
If your child has been harmed by a doctor, pharmacist, surgeon, nurse, or hospital, contact the Law Offices of David C. Rash today. With more than 25 years of legal experience and a history of numerous multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements secured on our clients’ behalf, we have what it takes to protect your and your child’s rights. Medical malpractice claims are only successful if they can establish that a physician owed your child a duty of care and violated that duty – we have decades of knowledge and resources that we can use to hold pediatricians responsible.
Begin filing your medical malpractice claim today by calling our team at (954) 914-7116 for a free case evaluation, or contact us online. We can put our resources and knowledge to work for you so you can concentrate on healing.