Michigan Emergency Room Error Attorney

When people visit an emergency room to treat an unexpected illness or serious injury, they expect to be treated promptly and fairly by the medical staff. However, the hectic, urgent nature of the emergency department can sometimes, unfortunately, lead to errors in treating, diagnosing, and caring for patients – leading to severe and even deadly consequences.

Emergency medicine has higher rates of error than most other medical specialties. Because medical malpractice happens more often in the emergency department, the Buchanan Firm team has extensive experience with emergency room malpractice claims. At Buchanan Firm, our Michigan med mal attorneys have successfully pursued many medical malpractice claims involving errors occurring in the emergency room or emergency department. We are skilled in evaluating errors made by emergency department staff and have emergency room medical experts a phone or Zoom call away.

What Are Common Emergency Room Errors?

 Common errors that a patient may experience in an emergency room include:

• Failing to perform a differential diagnosis to rule out worst first
• Failing to take an adequate medical history
• Failing to perform a thorough and comprehensive physical examination
• Failing to collect data, perform tests, or order appropriate imaging to rule out possible life-threatening conditions
• Delayed diagnosis, misdiagnosis, or failure to diagnose
• Delay in testing or imaging
• Delay in treatment
• Medication error
• Opioid overdose
• Failing to consult specialists timely
• Misreading imaging
• Inadequate monitoring
• Surgical errors
• Improper discharge

Common situations leading to errors in an emergency department include:

• Patients wait for hours at a time to be seen. If you are suffering a serious condition or injury, minutes can make a difference in treating your symptoms – and unfortunately, in many emergency rooms, there may be another patient who takes priority.
• Incorrect canvassing of a patient’s symptoms. In order to prevent the most serious patients from being neglected, a nurse or medical professional should be able to accurately assess the severity of a patient’s health by their symptoms. If they are unable to do so, serious consequences can occur.
• Early discharge of a patient. Many emergency rooms simply have more patients than they do hospital beds and doctors to see them. Therefore, many try to discharge patients as soon as they can in order to take care of any other patients waiting for treatment. Unfortunately, in many cases this can lead to hasty errors in diagnostics, treatment, and medication because they are in a rush to get you out of the examination room.
• Doctors not ordering or ordering incorrect tests. Instead of testing for more serious conditions, some medical professionals may look at your symptoms and diagnose it as a simple, minor issue. This can lead to a delayed diagnosis and the development of serious complications associated with your condition.

Why Do Emergency Room Errors Occur?

Emergency room errors can happen because emergency department medical professionals are busy and sometimes don’t take their time treating patients.  However, emergency room doctors and nurses have a standard of care to uphold when they treat patients – regardless of how chaotic the situation may be. If they fail to uphold this standard, they may be negligent. This can sometimes lead to a severe misdiagnosis, in which you would need to contact our Michigan misdiagnosis lawyers for your case. If the negligence causes significant injuries, you may have a medical malpractice claim against the emergency room doctor and/or nurse and you may be able to secure financial compensation for your injuries. To learn more about your legal rights, speak to an experienced medical malpractice attorney in Michigan.

What Can I Recover as a Victim of Emergency Room Medical Malpractice?

If you or a loved one suffered injury after the care you received in an emergency department, you may be entitled to compensation if it is deemed the medical providers breached the standard of care.  If the breach in the standard of care caused a catastrophic injury, you may be entitled to compensation for:

• Medical bills
• Lost wages
• Future care expenses
• Loss of household services
• Pain and suffering (subject to the cap in Michigan on non-economic damages)

The Buchanan Firm Advantage

Cases involving medical negligence and medical malpractice are complex matters that are difficult to accurately evaluate without the help of qualified medical professionals. At Buchanan Firm, we know law and medicine. Our injury lawyers in Grand Rapids are uniquely equipped to handle medical malpractice cases by retaining a dedicated, in-house team that knows both the law and medicine for all injury-related cases.

Emergency room errors can lead to serious consequences. If you or a loved one suffered injuries due to an emergency room error, please contact us today to discuss your situation. We can review your medical records to assess if you were injured as a result of negligence. And, we will work tirelessly on your case to secure fair and just compensation for your injuries. We are in it to win it for you.