Modern medicine has given us the power and convenience of medications to heal and cure hundreds of symptoms and conditions. However, these medicinal products also have the potential to cause severe harm if not manufactured or utilized correctly.
This is why only medical professionals are given the responsibility of handling the prescribing and administering of prescription medications. While these professionals should always approach this duty carefully, sometimes they do not act with as much caution as they should. When this happens, the patient can be prone to many adverse effects, including severe injury or even death.
If you were negatively impacted by a medication error, a Bolingbrook prescription drug errors lawyer may be able to help you. To see what a qualified attorney could do for you, call today.
Types of Medication Error Cases
According to the United States Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention, a medication error is any preventable event that occurs while the medication is under the control of a medical professional, patient, or consumer and which could cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm.
Medication errors come in many different forms. In the same vein, they can stem from doctors, nurses, pharmacists, medical assistants, and pharmacy technicians. The most common types of medication errors are due to one or more of the following negligent acts:
- Prescribing or administering the wrong drug or dosage
- Failure to monitor patients after administering potent drugs
- Failure to observe for known side effects
- Failure to assess for known drug allergies
Each one of these types of errors can be prevented by medical professionals carefully following their training and making patient safety a priority. If these errors do occur, though, the outcome can be life-changing.
This is especially true for elderly patients, infants, or adults with multiple health conditions who cannot process medications as thoroughly and quickly as healthy adults. Depending on the severity of the circumstances, drug errors can cause major medical problems such as such as heart attack, stroke, hypoxic brain injury, kidney or liver failure, and coma.
Statute of Limitations for Bolingbrook Prescription Drug Error Cases
A statute of limitations is the time period established by law that a potential plaintiff in a case has to formally file their civil claim, which can vary from one case—and one state—to the next. In Illinois, the statute of limitations for medical malpractice injuries is two years, as per 735 ILCS 5/13-201. This time period is measured from either the date the relevant medication error occurred or the date that the harm from the medication error was discovered, whichever is later.
For drug error victims, contacting a Bolingbrook prescription drug errors lawyer in a timely matter could be imperative. Not only can this help ensure a potential plaintiff can get their claim filed prior to the statute of limitations expiring, it also helps to obtain and preserve valuable evidence in a case. The success of a medication error case can sometimes depend on the victim’s actions immediately following the incident and how quickly they contact a prescription drug errors attorney.
Speaking with a Bolingbrook Prescription Drug Errors Attorney
Prescription drug errors can and do happen often. However, these cases can be a particularly complex matter when it comes to personal injury litigation. Having a Bolingbrook prescription drug errors lawyer to represent you could increase your chances of success in recovering for your damages.
Our attorneys are experienced and have extensive knowledge on various medical malpractice topics. Contact our office today to learn more about the level of representation we could provide for prescription drug error victims.