Did the Doctor Make a Mistake?
By : Brad Schroeder
“I have never sued anyone before, or even thought about it, but my dad died recently while in the hospital for what was supposed to be a routine procedure. Several hospital staff have indicated to us we should maybe talk to someone about what happened, and the doctor avoids us and really won’t tell us anything.”
If you or a friend, neighbor, or co-worker find yourself in this situation, you are not alone. It can be hard to know when it makes sense to seek a lawyer’s advice. No one wants to run out and file a lawsuit without knowing all the facts, or even point the finger. It’s uncomfortable. And dealing with the death of your loved one is difficult enough. Often it isn’t until some time has passed, and family members have had a chance to grieve, that nagging questions about what happened and why, will cause someone to send an email or pick up the phone and just inquire about what it would take to get better answers. Usually, most people are after primarily one thing – closure. Sometimes talking with an attorney can offer that, and afford a chance to simply talk about the what-ifs and options. For those who want to dig further, and feel they owe it to their deceased love one, the usual next step is to engage a lawyer to help find a medical expert to review what happened. In almost every action for medical negligence, the opinion of experts is what matters most. A lawyer can find these experts for you – doctors who will give their professional opinion about what happened and compare it to the standards of the health care community. If the expert believes the care provided fell below the standard range of care, there may be a case to be made that medical negligence occurred. Mistakes of a serious nature – including errors that cause a patient’s death – are rare. But just as in all other aspects of life, mistakes do occur. If you have questions, or wonder whether the care of your loved one involved a serious error by a care provider that caused harm, contact us and learn more.
ABOUT BRAD SCHROEDER
Brad is a co-founder and partner in the law firm Hartung Schroeder. He believes in advocating for people in many areas of the law. He regularly represents clients in matters pertaining to family law, business law and personal injury. You can learn more about Brad or get in touch with him here.
