Doctors go through years of training and education to learn to do what they do. Surgeons are held to especially high standards and should be able to perform routine surgeries without much difficulty or complication. However, the most common surgeries still carry a high incidence of surgical errors and surgical mistakes.
If you or a loved one discovered that they were affected by a surgical error or mistake after undergoing surgery in Queens or anywhere else in New York City, contact the queens surgical error attorneys at Sullivan and Galleshaw, LLP. Our attorneys can investigate your claim, determine who was responsible, and analyze the legal steps to take to get you the compensation you need for additional medical care, lost wages, pain and suffering, or the wrongful death of a loved one. For help with your case, contact our attorneys today at (718) 843-0300 to schedule a free legal consultation.
Types of Surgical Errors and Surgical Mistakes
Surgery is a complicated process, and many of the consequences and side effects of undergoing surgery are unavoidable. Pain, soreness, mild blood loss, and the side effects of anesthesia are often unavoidable and come with the inherent risks of surgery. However, additional mistakes and instances of negligence can amount to “errors” that cause you severe pain or other side effects or end the life of a loved one. In many of these cases, the surgeon and their medical staff can be held accountable for the errors and negligence.
Surgical errors can differ widely. Some rare mistakes can be as severe as performing surgery on the wrong person, the wrong body part, or in the wrong location. These injuries are technically committed without informed consent and may even constitute gross negligence since these kinds of mistakes should be avoided.
More commonly, surgical mistakes involve one of the following types of injuries:
- Injured blood vessels
- Severed nerves or other nerve damage
- “Positioning injuries” resulting in numbness or nerve damage
- Anesthesia mistakes
- Cutting too deep
- Excessive bleeding
- Incisions that are larger than necessary
- Incisions in the wrong location
- Hospital-acquired infections
Other rare but serious surgical errors involve leaving items inside the patient during surgery. The doctor and the rest of the surgical staff are responsible for counting the sponges and tools used and ensuring that all of them are accounted for before closing the patient’s incisions. However, surgical sponges and fragments of gauze are sometimes left inside the patient, leading to health problems later. More rarely, tools such as forceps or even scalpels have been left inside.
If you suffered any of these surgical errors or other surgical mistakes and medical negligence during a surgical procedure, you may be able to sue the doctors and hospital who are responsible for your injuries.
Suing for Medical Malpractice After Surgical Errors in New York
If you or a loved one was the victim of serious surgical mistakes, you may be able to take your case to court to seek compensation for the damages you suffered. When you do so, the hospital’s legal team and the medical malpractice insurance company representing the doctor who committed these errors will commonly try to fight against your case, potentially leading to in-court litigation. However, they may alternatively offer you settlements. Either way, you should discuss your case with an experienced surgical error victim attorney to ensure you get the compensation you deserve.
Insurance companies are businesses, and they try to cut their costs by paying settlements that might not fully cover your needs or by defending their physicians against claims. These companies do not represent you or your best interests, and you should have an attorney handle negotiations and communications with these parties on your behalf to ensure you get the proper chance to file your claim.
When you take your case to court, you could be entitled to substantial compensation. The additional medical care costs you faced because of the injuries, additional missed work and lost wages, and the pain and suffering you faced should be compensated in full. Your attorney can help you determine the value of these injuries and damages, fighting to get you the maximum compensation available under the law.
If you lost a loved one to surgical mistakes, it is important to talk to a lawyer. These cases are often very high-value cases and can get you substantial damages for the loss you suffered. This also means that the hospital and medical malpractice insurance companies may offer more aggressive defenses and challenge high damages, so you need an equally aggressive and assertive attorney to represent you in your claims. Contact Sullivan and Galleshaw to get the representation you need.
Call Our Queens Surgical Error Attorneys for a Free Legal Consultation Today
Sullivan and Galleshaw’s Queens, NY surgical error lawyers represent the victims of medical mistakes and their families. Our attorneys can help you file a lawsuit against the doctors and hospital that caused your injuries or injured a loved one during a surgical procedure. Our medical malpractice attorneys have decades of experience representing injury victims in New York City and may be able to represent you in your claim. To schedule a free legal consultation, contact our law offices today at (718) 843-0300.
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