Emergency Room Error
Attorneys in Jacksonville

No doctor is perfect and there are a lot of errors that can occur in an emergency room setting. The consequences of these errors, however, can be life-threatening and change the lives of an individual and their loved ones forever.

Common Types of Emergency Room Errors

Emergency rooms are known for being very busy, high volume, and chaotic. Emergency room physicians are the lowest paid professionals – yet they see more patients and a variety of conditions than any other type of doctor. They could treat several patients within the same hour and see hundreds per week. That number alone makes it no wonder that they are at high-risk for critical errors.

Some of the more commonly seen types of emergency room errors include:

• Patient Dumping – This is when an ER doctor refuses to treat a patient because they cannot pay for their service. Hospitals cannot refuse to treat a patient that has an obvious medical need. Not only is this negligent, but it is illegal.
• Prescription or Medication Errors – Whether it is writing the wrong prescription or dispensing the wrong product, this is a very common error seen in ERs across the state. ER doctors are often too busy to ask a patient about medical history or even review the prescriptions they are already taking. As a result, they could provide drugs that cause fatal side effects and interactions.
• Misdiagnosis or Failure to Diagnose – Because ER doctors have to see so many patients so quickly, they are often too rushed to do a full diagnostic workup. This often leads to a misdiagnosis of the patient or worse, a failure to diagnose at all.
• Ignoring the Standard Level of Care Rule – Sometimes ER doctors are just negligent and they fail to provide the standard level of care that they are required to provide to patients.

Common Injuries Associated with ER Errors

From the minor to life-threatening, there are numerous injuries that can occur from ER errors, including:

• Stroke
• Aneurysm
• Internal bleeding
• Infection
• Appendicitis
• Embolism
• Brain injury

Why Are ER Errors so Common?

There are a variety of reasons an ER doctor could make the wrong diagnosis. In some cases, it is not always the physician that is to blame; it can also be lab technicians, nurses or other staff in the ER who are responsible for the error. But, some of the common reasons these critical errors do occur include:

• Fatigue
• Inexperience
• Failure to order proper tests
• Malfunctioning tests
• Contamination
• Overflow of patients
• Negligence
• Drugs and alcohol abuse

Are You the Victim of an ER Error?

If you or a loved one was injured in an emergency room error, then you may have a case for medical malpractice. Florida state law limits you to a two-year statute, which means you only have two years from the error’s discovery to file your claim. Call us to get started right away to increase the chances of a successful case.

Medical Malpractice Attorneys in Jacksonville

If you suspect an ER error is to blame, then contact emergency room malpractice lawyers at Hardesty, Tyde & Ashton, P. A. We have two convenient Jacksonville locations and we can meet with you for a free case evaluation. If we take your case, you do not pay until we get a verdict on your claim.

Call us now to get started.