The purpose of an urgent care unit is to provide immediate, and often lifesaving, treatment to injured or seriously unwell patients. The uncertainty of finding yourself or a loved one in the emergency room can be stressful and frightening. While care teams are highly trained and prepared to handle any medical emergency, mistakes still happen, and patients can suffer further harm instead of being properly treated.
If you or a loved one has suffered worsened injuries due to a medical mistake, a Spartanburg emergency room error lawyer could help you seek financial compensation. At KD Trial Lawyers, our medical malpractice attorneys have over 150 years of combined experience representing injured victims in local communities.
What Types of Mistakes Can Happen in an Emergency Room?
Emergency rooms are busy places. Staff often have to deal with rapidly changing conditions while also working long hours and at full capacity. Operating in this highly charged environment can lead care teams to miss critical information or skip important procedural steps, which results in unnecessary harm to patients.
Perhaps the most common type of error is misdiagnosis. This could be either diagnosing the wrong condition or failing to identify a condition at all. Misdiagnosis often results in patients receiving delayed or improper treatment for potentially life-threatening conditions, such as a heart attack or stroke. Similarly, failing to review a patient’s full medical history, including any current medications and allergies, can lead staff to prescribe incorrect or harmful medicines.
Patients in an emergency medical situation require careful monitoring to ensure that their vital signs remain stable after receiving treatment. Failure to routinely check a patient’s status increases the risk of their condition worsening. If you have suffered a worsened injury due to a medical error at an ER in Spartanburg, it is important to consult an attorney as soon as possible to discuss your legal options. You may be able to file a claim against the hospital and staff for their negligence.
Understanding Liability and Possible Damages
Under the South Carolina Code of Law § 15-79-125, litigants must follow specific statutory guidelines to bring medical malpractice cases, including filing a Notice of Intent to File Suit and a pre-suit affidavit from an expert. Beyond these guidelines, to successfully file a medical malpractice claim, you must be able to prove that the treatment you received was below the accepted professional standard and that it caused you further harm.
Urgent care units present a unique challenge because of the circumstances under which they operate. Due to the high-pressure environment, doctors often have to make split-second decisions with incomplete information. However, this does not excuse a hospital’s failure to provide basic care and treatment. The hospital and staff may be liable for negligent actions such as ignoring obvious symptoms, inadequately monitoring patients’ vital signs, and prematurely discharging patients to free up bed space. Possible damages in a medical malpractice case include:
- Costs of additional medical treatment
- Lost wages
- Lost earning capacity
- Permanent disability
- Mental pain and suffering
If your injury is the result of a mistake at an emergency care facility in Spartanburg, consulting with a knowledgeable attorney could help you understand the claims process and what types of damages you could pursue.
Contact an ER Malpractice Attorney in Spartanburg Today For Help
When you go to the hospital, it is reasonable to expect competent care, especially in a medical emergency. If you or a loved one has suffered further harm as a result of medical negligence, a Spartanburg emergency room error lawyer could help you seek financial compensation for your damages. Contact KD Trial Lawyers today to arrange a free consultation.
(864) 585-5100