Every day, hundreds of people in the Columbus area and thousands around the State visit emergency rooms for immediate medical care. Whether these trips are the result of accidents and a ride in an ambulance or the patient makes the journey themselves, the medical professionals in emergency rooms have the same duty to provide competent care.
Sadly, as is true everywhere, the doctors and nurses who work in Columbus area nursing homes can sometimes make mistakes. The pace of work in these areas can be frantic, and the staff often work shifts in excess of 12 hours. The resulting mistakes can lead to injuries that affect every part of a person’s life.
Our Columbus ER error lawyers can help to pursue claims that allege medical malpractice arising out of emergency room injuries. These cases can demand payments for not just following up on medical care, but also for any other economic losses or drops in quality of life that result from these incidents. To learn more about your eligibility for compensation, be sure to schedule a consultation with one of our knowledgeable injury attorneys today.
When does an ER Error Become Medical Malpractice?
Emergency rooms can be chaotic places. They may be filled with dozens of people seeking care for everything from severe flu symptoms, to harsh stomach pains, to broken bones, to heart attacks or strokes. The nurses and intake staff must make an initial evaluation of a person’s complaints to triage care and provide treatment to those in most immediate need. A failure to properly triage a patient is a first opportunity for malpractice to occur. This inability to properly
diagnose a condition at first glance can cost a person valuable minutes while they wait to see a doctor.
Of course, the ER doctors are also prone to mistakes after taking a patient into their care. These doctors must be able to listen to a patient’s complaints, order appropriate tests, admit the patient to the hospital if necessary, and prescribe medications for at-home care. A failure at any of these steps can result in a missed diagnosis or a botched procedure that does not address the patient’s needs. An ER error attorney in Columbus can provide more information about emergency room mistakes qualifying for financial compensation.
Working with an Expert to Prove a Claim in Columbus
Pursing a medical malpractice claim against an ER doctor or nurse may seem like a simple concept. After all, visiting an ER and experiencing worsening symptoms or a new injury seems like an obvious example of malpractice. Unfortunately, the law requires every plaintiff to prove not just an injury, but that a medical professional was negligent in causing that injury.
The only way to accomplish this is to work with a qualified expert medical witness. According to
Ohio Revised Code §2743.43, these experts must practice medicine in the same area of expertise as the defendant. These experts must be ER doctors themselves or teach this area of medicine in a medical school.
The testimony of these experts is vital for plaintiffs to be able to prove that a defendant’s care fell to the level of malpractice. In fact, working with a qualified expert is necessary to even bring a case to court.
Ohio Rule of Civil Procedure §10(D)(2), says that a plaintiff cannot even start a case in court unless an expert has examined the facts of the case and swears to the court that malpractice may have occurred.
A Columbus ER Error Attorney is Prepared to Lead the Way
If you have experienced poor care while visiting an emergency room in the Columbus area, you may have the option to demand compensation for your losses. A misdiagnosis, a failure to properly interpret test results, or an early discharge may have caused a worsening of your condition or the onset of new illnesses or injuries.
The nurses and doctors who work in these facilities have a duty under the law to provide competent care. Those who do not are liable to provide compensation for all economic and non-economic losses that you may endure. However, to prove this negligence, it is necessary to rely on the opinion and testimony of qualified medical experts.
Our Columbus ER error lawyers can help you to pursue your claim for damages. We will handle every step of your case from gathering evidence, to measuring your losses, to hiring an expert to testify on your behalf. Together, we can work to hold negligence doctors, nurses, and hospitals liable for the negligence that took the form of an emergency room error.
Schedule a consultation today.
