A lot of trust is placed with doctors and the rest of the surgical team during an operation. The patient often has no expertise about what is going on, and they are almost always anesthetized, unable to determine what is happening during the procedure. If a doctor commits errors during the procedure, you could find yourself with serious injuries or immediate needs for additional procedures or medical care.
Doctors are required to provide certain levels of care, and failing to meet these standards through mistakes and errors committed during the procedure can be grounds for a lawsuit against the negligent doctor. The Queenan Law Firm’s Arlington, TX surgical error injury and death lawyers represent victims and their families in these kinds of claims, working to hold doctors accountable for errors made during surgical procedures. For a free legal consultation on your case, call us today at (817) 476-1797.
Examples of Surgical Errors and Mistakes in Arlington, TX
Most patients are not themselves medical professionals, and they might not be able to tell whether anything is wrong after waking up from surgery. Many medical professionals will affirmatively tell you that your pain is normal after a procedure or that there is no reason to suspect there were any issues. Sometimes they even do this after they know there was a mistake.
There are many different types of surgical errors that could leave a patient with excessive pain or adverse complications after surgery. Deep nicks and incisions can cause unnecessary blood loss or nerve damage, potentially causing serious complications. In some cases, these kinds of errors could even result in death.
Some of the most serious types of surgical errors are also the least common. Doctors sometimes operate on the wrong part of the body or potentially even operate on the wrong patient. This kind of mistake could leave a patient with missing limbs or organs, all the while leaving them without the treatment they need. Although these kinds of errors are rare, they do still occur.
Surgical teams have a lot of tools and items used during surgical procedures, such as scalpels, forceps, clamps, gauze, and sponges. If the doctor accidentally leaves one of these tools inside the patient’s body during the surgery, it may go unnoticed. Pain, discomfort, sepsis, and other serious complications can occur from these kinds of errors.
Some surgical errors also occur when the doctor fails to complete the procedure. If the procedure is unsuccessful, this could mean that the doctor failed to fully remove something, that they could not reach the part of the body that needed surgery, or that an attempt to repair or restore a part of your body failed to have the desired effect. If surgical errors were involved with this failure, you might be entitled to sue.
Suing Doctors for Surgical Errors During Procedures in Arlington
When a doctor makes serious mistakes, they should be held responsible. Doctors are required to follow the appropriate “standard of care” during any treatment. This means providing you with adequate care that meets the same reasonable standards that another doctor with similar training and experience would have met in the same situation. If your doctor’s care fell short of this standard, you can usually sue them for surgical negligence.
Not every mistake during surgery is something the doctor should be held responsible for. Some procedures are extremely difficult, and there are reasonable complications that patients should be informed about before the procedure. If the doctor makes errors that fall within the realm of these complications, you usually cannot sue. The doctor and their defense attorneys will usually try to defend against any lawsuits for surgical errors by claiming that their care did indeed meet the standard of care and that your harm was a mere complication. However, many complications and mistakes in the operating room go beyond these reasonable errors and cause unreasonable injuries and harm.
Damages for Surgical Complications and Mistakes in Arlington, Texas
When you sue a doctor for unreasonable complications and mistakes during surgery, you might be entitled to substantial financial compensation. These damages are usually paid to compensate you for two areas of injuries: economic damages and noneconomic damages. Economic damages will cover the financial harms that you faced, while noneconomic damages pay for intangible harms and issues.
Economic damages often include compensation for bills and expenses that the mistakes caused you. First and foremost, you are likely going to need additional medical care and perhaps additional surgeries to reverse the effects of your doctor’s mistakes. These additional care costs should be paid for in your lawsuit. Moreover, any additional time off work because of the injuries and conditions could lead to lost wages. Other costs, such as the cost of wheelchairs or other equipment, transportation, or home care needs should also be covered.
Noneconomic damages primarily account for the pain and suffering the victim faces. Physical injuries and medical complications can cause immense physical pain and mental anguish, especially if the mistake was severe and caused permanent injuries.
If a loved one was killed during an operation because of surgical mistakes, your family could face additional damages. The cost of burial and funeral arrangements, lost wages, lost household services, and other damages can be immense. Talk to a lawyer about what your surgical error wrongful death lawsuit might be worth.
Call Our Surgical Error Injury and Wrongful Death Attorneys in Arlington, TX for a Free Legal Consultation
If you underwent surgery and later discovered that you were the victim of surgical mistakes, call The Queenan Law Firm today. Our Arlington, TX surgical error injury and death lawyers represent victims of surgical mistakes as well as the families of those killed by surgical errors. For a free case consultation, contact our attorneys today at (817) 476-1797.