When you go to a hospital for testing or treatment, you expect competence and the best possible care. You have the right to expect the hospital to have state-of-the-art equipment, trained healthcare professionals, and a clean and sanitary environment. Unfortunately, hospital malpractice occasionally occurs, which can jeopardize the health and safety of patients.
When you believe your health or your loved one’s safety suffered because of a hospital error, your family might be eligible to pursue a medical malpractice lawsuit. A qualified Clearwater hospital negligence lawyer could offer you advice on how to handle your claim.
What Constitutes Hospital Negligence?
Hospital negligence happens when a hospital, its medical professionals, support staff, or administrators fail to uphold the recognized standard of care. Hospital negligence can lead to severe, life-changing harm for patients.
Negligent Hiring of Healthcare Professionals
Hospitals have a duty to hire properly licensed, qualified, and educated doctors, nurses, and other medical workers. Administrators should screen, interview, and check all potential employees’ credentials and references before hiring them.
Negligent Training
Hospitals must train their employees on how to care for patients. Each worker must be aware of their specific duties and responsibilities regarding patient care, safety, and hygiene. Lack of employee training can lead to many problems, including the spread of infections.
Lack of Supervision of Workers
Hospitals should regularly supervise new and existing employees to ensure they follow protocols. When they notice a worker not upholding the proper standards of care, they should take action before jeopardizing patient safety.
Understaffing
When hospitals do not hire enough employees, their workers need to care for too many patients at the same time. Inadequate staffing can lead to careless mistakes and a lack of care for patients.
Our seasoned Clearwater attorneys understand how devastating hospital negligence can be and could work closely with a patient and their family to fight for justice.
Common Types of Hospital Negligence
Litigation can follow any type of medical error in a hospital setting, but it most frequently involves harm resulting from specific mistakes. Some of the most common preventable medical errors that happen in hospitals include:
- Misdiagnosis
- Delayed diagnosis
- Failure to diagnosis
- Failure to give a patient a complete assessment
- Failure to monitor a patient’s vital signs during their hospital stay
- Failure to obtain the full medical history and background of a patient
- Lack of communication between medical providers and patients regarding discharge information and follow-up instructions
- Failure to maintain a sanitary facility – Unsanitary and non-sterile conditions can lead to infections and other serious medical conditions
Hospital negligence can cause patients to suffer life-altering and fatal injuries. A dedicated hospital negligence lawyer in Clearwater could help an injured patient and their family fight for justice, fair compensation, and accountability. Our team at Perenich Law Injury Attorneys could work with experienced medical experts who could evaluate the injured patient’s medical record to identify the medical error and determine the impact it could have on the patient’s future.
The Lasting Impact of Hospital Negligence on People’s Lives
People can experience a wide range of injuries and losses whenever hospital negligence occurs. Some people’s injuries can have a harmful impact on the quality of their lives for months or even years.
Physical Losses
Injured individuals might need to prepare for an extended period or even a lifetime of doctor’s visits, surgeries, and physical therapy. Hospital errors can lead to excruciating physical pain that can interfere with someone’s ability to participate in their daily activities.
Emotional Losses
In addition to physical injuries, hospital negligence can also cause emotional damage. Many survivors of hospital mistakes will find it challenging to trust people in the future. They might not seek the medical attention they need in the future for fear of encountering other negligent doctors or healthcare workers. Neglecting their medical needs could lead to a worsening of their overall health.
Learning to cope with their physical injuries could also cause people to experience mental anguish, anxiety, or depression. They might need high-quality mental therapy to help them recover emotionally.
Financial Losses
A hospital mistake could set an entire family back financially. The injured party might need additional medical care, hospital stays, surgery, or physical therapy, which could be costly. While they attend to their medical needs and recuperate, they might need to take unpaid time away from their job, which could cause them to be unable to pay their medical bills and other expenses.
What Is the Average Payout for Hospital Negligence?
There is no set amount that a survivor of hospital mistakes in Clearwater will receive in monetary damages. Every case is different and unique, and the payouts can vary widely depending on the facts of the particular incidents and who a family hires to work with as an attorney. To maximize the chances of a successful payout, working with a knowledgeable local law firm that will take a personalized approach to each case is critical. The Perenich family has cared about the community for decades. Three generations of attorneys have provided quality and caring assistance to local area residents facing challenging legal problems. We know how to carefully evaluate each claimant’s losses to pursue a fair damage award or settlement amount that can make a difference in an injured party’s life.
How Long Do I Have to File a Clearwater Hospital Malpractice Lawsuit?
People hurt by hospital errors do not have unlimited time to file claims. According to Florida Statutes § 95.11(4)(c), in most cases, injured parties must bring their lawsuits within two years of a hospital mistake or within two years of when a patient discovers the error. The outer limit of time is generally four years in total. However, if the patient was under the age of eight at the time of the incident, different rules might apply.
A well-practiced hospital negligence attorney in Clearwater could review the facts from a specific incident to let someone know whether they are within the appropriate timeframe to bring a claim. In addition to statutory concerns, there are other reasons for meeting with legal counsel as soon as possible after discovering a hospital error that led to injuries. Our proactive legal professionals could perform a thorough investigation promptly. They could collect evidence before it becomes displaced or lost. They could also interview witnesses while their memories are still fresh.
Contact a Clearwater Hospital Negligence Attorney
Preventable hospital mistakes risk the lives of patients. Some errors occur because of the carelessness of doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers. Other hospital mistakes happen because the facility’s administration made a bad hiring decision or established an unreasonable policy. You have the right to know what happened and seek justice for your losses if hospital malpractice hurts you.
Learn more by scheduling a free consultation with a Clearwater hospital negligence lawyer at our firm. We are 3 Brothers Committed to Helping Others.
(727) 669-2828