Emergency rooms (ER) provide vital help to people in need of immediate intensive care, but they are also often overcrowded, understaffed, and dependent on physicians who have to make split-second decisions for many patients in succession. Put all that together, and you, unfortunately, have a recipe for mistakes to be made in how patients are treated and what treatment they actually end up receiving. Rather than making it easier, these tough working conditions can make it harder for injured patients to sue for malpractice afterward.
For that reason, among many others, seeking help from a seasoned Southfield emergency room error lawyer should be a top priority if you have been hurt through professional misconduct in an ER. Whether you received the wrong diagnosis, the wrong medication, the wrong invasive operation, or any other kind of improper care, our skilled medical malpractice lawyers’ support is crucial to getting the best possible resolution from your lawsuit or settlement demand.
Understanding the Standard of Care in the ER
The main reason why emergency room errors are particularly tricky to sue over stems from how the standard of care for doctors is defined. A doctor is negligent and can be sued for damages if they injure a patient by violating the standard of care they owed them. That standard is determined by what another equally qualified doctor would have done under identical or extremely similar conditions.
With this in mind, doctors working in calm environments who are able to dedicate their full attention to one patient at a time have a much smaller margin for error—at least, in terms of civil liability for their actions—compared to doctors managing multiple patients at once in a hectic ER. That said, ER doctors are still expected to use their skills and education to make the best possible decision for each patient. Our Southfield emergency room injury attorneys at Thurswell Law could help sue any doctor who recklessly or carelessly fails to do that and injures a patient as a result.
What Deadlines Apply to ER Error Claims?
Assistance from legal counsel can also be key to building and filing a comprehensive malpractice claim over an ER error within the applicable statute of limitations. The statute of limitations sets a time limit for how long an injured person can file suit after initially being harmed in order to ensure prospective defendants do not have the threat of a lawsuit hanging over their heads forever.
Generally, the filing deadline for a claim over an emergency room error is two years after the date on which the malpractice actually happened or six months from when the prospective plaintiff learns—or reasonably should have discovered—they were hurt through malpractice.
Consider Working with Our Southfield Emergency Room Error Attorneys
Going to the ER is nobody’s idea of a good time, but in the event you do need treatment for a medical emergency, you should be able to trust that the doctors who help you in the emergency room will be respectful, responsible, and skillful in the care they provide. If your ER doctor failed to meet this standard of care and caused you harm as a result, you may have grounds for legal action, which a capable malpractice attorney can help you make the most of.
A conversation with our Southfield emergency room error lawyers could provide answers to important questions and guidance about how best to enforce your right to civil recovery. Call 248-354-2222 today to set up a meeting.
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