Surgical Errors
Helping People Injured by Surgical Errors in Florida
All surgeries pose inherent risks to patients, which can result in serious medical conditions and complications. However, too often negative outcomes, such as serious infection, chronic pain and paralysis are the result of avoidable surgical errors. In fact, a recent study of medical error prevention and reduction found that at least 4000 preventable surgical errors occur each year in the U.S.
Ranging from operating on the incorrect body part to not detecting and treating infections after surgery, surgical errors can cause pain, suffering and life-threatening harm. Families affected by these egregious errors are often devastated by their losses as well as the mounting medical expenses.
If you or a member of your family has suffered because of a surgical error, you may be able to hold the doctor and/or medical staff accountable for negligence and the harm it caused. With a Florida medical malpractice claim, you could potentially obtain substantial compensation for your medical expenses, lost income, pain, suffering, and other damages resulting from the surgical error.
The Florida medical malpractice attorneys of Paul Trial Group are committed to holding negligent healthcare providers accountable for the harm they cause patients and their families. Throughout our years as trial attorneys, we have successfully litigated numerous medical malpractice cases, winning multi-million-dollar settlements and awards for the families whom we have had the privilege of representing.
We look forward to discussing your potential Florida medical malpractice claim and answering any questions you have about the claims process. At Paul Trial Group, we are committed to excellence in the pursuit of justice and welcome the opportunity to put our commitment and legal expertise to work for you.
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Causes of Surgical Errors
Surgical errors are not inherent in the surgical process, nor do they occur spontaneously. Instead, they usually occur because of communication, procedural and equipment problems that could have been avoided had the doctors, nurses and other hospital staff involved been careful.
Research on medical error prevention and reduction has identified major reasons why surgical errors occur:
- Inadequate surgeon training and education
- Lack of standardized rules and regulations
- Gaps in communication between the surgeon, anesthesiologist, and other staff
- Gaps in communication between the surgeon and the patient
- Unreliable systems or protocols
- Rushing to complete cases
- Other human factors
Regardless of why surgical errors occur, the fact remains that avoidable mistakes needlessly injure thousands of patients each year.
Types of Surgical Errors
Surgical errors can occur before, during or after surgery. To be considered medical negligence, however, they must involve an error of omission, as in not monitoring a patient carefully, or an error of commission, as in operating on the wrong side of the body, that harms a patient. Unfortunately, there are many types of harmful surgical errors:
- Operating on the wrong body part or wrong side of the body.
- Performing the wrong procedure.
- Perforating the bowel, an organ or blood vessel and causing internal bleeding.
- Failing to quickly identify the source of internal bleeding and stop the bleeding.
- Cutting a nerve and causing permanent nerve damage or paralysis.
- Leaving foreign objects, such as surgical sponges, pins, blades, clips, gauze, cotton or other medical instruments inside a patient.
- Giving the patient the wrong type of blood or contaminated blood.
- Failing to have blood ready for timely transfusions.
- Transplanting tissue or organs from an improper donor.
- Using unsanitary equipment.
- Failing to diagnose or treat infections after surgery.
- Failing to consult with a specialist, such as an infectious disease expert or a gastroenterologist, or transfer care to a specialist.
These and other surgical errors can lead to long-term health problems, even death, that would not have occurred had the surgical team not been negligent. In cases such as these, it is important to hold the healthcare providers accountable for their negligence.
Florida Medical Malpractice Claims for Damages from Surgical Errors
A Florida medical malpractice claim can hold negligent doctors and surgical teams accountable for a surgical error. In Florida, medical malpractice is defined as the failure of a healthcare provider to act in accordance with the accepted professional standard of care owed to their patients. When healthcare providers are negligent and do not act as a reasonably prudent medical provider of the same specialty would act and thereby cause a patient to suffer serious injury or wrongful death, they may be held liable for the harm they inflicted with a medical malpractice lawsuit.
As the victim of a surgical error, you may be able to obtain substantial compensation for the damages you suffered. These damages may include:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Lost income
- Diminished earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Inconvenience
- Diminished capacity for enjoying life
- Other damages recoverable under Florida law
Medical malpractice lawsuits to recover damages due to surgical errors can be very complicated and demanding. Proving that a member or members of a surgical or post-operative care team breached the accepted professional standard of care before, during or after surgery and that the breach seriously injured a patient requires a thorough investigation into all the details of the case, a comprehensive understanding of all the facts, high quality expert testimony and skill as a trial lawyer.
Paul Trial Group attorneys have the essential expertise, knowledge and skill to successfully represent clients across the country who have been seriously injured by surgical errors in Florida. We work as a team, leveraging our combined knowledge, skills and substantial resources to achieve justice and full compensation for victims of surgical errors.
Statute of Limitations for Florida Medical Malpractice Cases
The Florida statute of limitations for medical malpractice lawsuits is two years from the date the malpractice occurred, was discovered or should have been discovered. The latest date allowed for the discovery of malpractice is four years from the date the negligent incident occurred.
Patients injured by surgical errors should not postpone getting advice from an experienced Florida medical malpractice attorney. Initiating a lawsuit can be labor intensive since Florida law requires that a thorough investigation, including a review of the claim and a verified written medical expert opinion, be completed as part of the mandatory notice of intent to initiate litigation.
Proven, Trusted Florida Surgical Error Medical Malpractice Attorneys
Medical malpractice cases can be very complicated, requiring the expertise of experienced trial attorneys and the resources of a successful law firm. The Paul Trial Group attorneys have achieved many multi-million-dollar settlements and awards and have the experience, skill and resources you can trust to win your medical malpractice case.
Paul Trial Group is the Florida medical malpractice law firm lawyers throughout the state and across the country trust to successfully handle their clients’ complex medical malpractice claims. If you or a family member has been injured by a surgical error, we are the law firm you can trust to provide superior representation, excellent personal attention and rewarding results.
Please call us at 407-622-2111 or submit the “Free Case Evaluation” form on our website to discuss your case with an experienced Florida medical malpractice attorney you can trust for excellence in the pursuit of justice.
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