According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there are more than 100 million emergency room visits in the United States each year. An estimated five to 10 percent of these visits involve medical errors, which means there are roughly five to 10 million mistakes in emergency rooms annually.
Malpractice is a serious issue under any circumstances, but it can be even more concerning when it occurs in an emergency room setting, as the slightest error in the ER can lead to a debilitating injury or even a fatality. If you or a loved one has been injured due to an error in the emergency room, you may need help from a dedicated medical malpractice attorney. A Bolingbrook emergency room errors lawyer could help you stand up for your best interests in civil court and work to seek compensation on your behalf.
Common Emergency Room Errors
Emergency room errors can happen due to many different factors and can lead to severe symptoms like infections, internal bleeding, and even aneurysms. Common errors that occur in the emergency room include misdiagnosis, downplaying symptoms, and medication errors. Whether the mistake was a misdiagnosis, downplaying of symptoms, or a medication error, an experienced lawyer will help an injured individual recover damages.
Misdiagnosis
This is the most frequent type of malpractice that occurs within the emergency room. Serious conditions such as heart attacks, strokes, and brain and spinal cord infections are especially prone to be misdiagnosed.
Downplaying Symptoms
Some healthcare providers in the ER have a tendency to downplay certain symptoms based on personal biases or patient behaviors. When symptoms are ignored or not taken seriously, a misdiagnosis or delays in treatment can occur—and sometimes can be fatal.
Medication Errors
As in all areas of the medical field, medication errors in the ER can take the form of a patient being given too low or too high of a dose, or even the wrong medication completely. Sometimes no permanent or serious harm occurs as a result of a medication error, but in an emergency room setting the medications administered can be much more potent and cause more problems when used incorrectly.
Bolingbrook Statute of Limitations
As per 735 ILCS 5/13-202, plaintiffs who have suffered from an emergency room error have two years from the date their injury occurred to file a lawsuit. There is, however, one exception to this rule. If the injury was discovered sometime after the date when the error took place, the statute of limitations would run from the discovery date rather than the date of the actual injury.
Illinois law also states that under no circumstances may the statute of limitations for an emergency room error extend beyond four years. The sooner a potential plaintiff can hire a qualified Bolingbrook emergency room errors lawyer, the more success they may have in recovering damages.
How a Bolingbrook Emergency Room Errors Attorney Could Help
After an emergency room error, you may feel very angry and like you have nowhere to turn. Fortunately, though, you do still have rights and options, one of which is to hire a skilled Bolingbrook emergency room errors lawyer.
If retained, your Bolingbrook emergency room errors attorney could send a demand letter to all medical professionals and the hospital that was involved in your injuries. If the demand letter fails to produce satisfactory results, they could proceed to file a medical malpractice lawsuit on your behalf. Call today to get help seeking compensation after your injuries.