Oregon Hospital Negligence Attorney
What Is Medical Malpractice?
Simply put, medical malpractice occurs when a doctor, hospital or other medical provider commits a breach in the normal standard of care, which then results in an injury to you.
I'm Robert Miller, a medical malpractice lawyer in Eugene, Oregon. I represent individuals and families whose lives have been altered by medical errors, doctor mistakes or hospital negligence. When an injury occurs, it is my job to investigate what happened, determine if the standard of care was breached (utilizing my own knowledge of anatomy, medical care and medical jargon as well as consulting with some of Oregon's leading medical experts) and then determine whether that breach was the ultimate cause of your injury.
The following are examples of some of the more common types of medical malpractice:
- Birth injuries: A birth injury is one that occurs during the delivery process, the results of which can include shoulder dystocia, Erb's palsy (also known as Klumpke's palsy) and cerebral palsy.
- Failure to perform timely C-section: If a necessary cesarean section (C-section) is not performed in a timely manner, the baby or the mother could suffer irreparable harm.
- Hospital staff/nurse errors: Examples of hospital staff or nursing errors are failing to properly report your medical history to your physician, improperly administering medications, not ensuring proper hygiene of wound sites or failing to properly supervise you after surgery.
- Misdiagnosis of illness: If a doctor overlooks easily-recognizable symptoms of disease or fails to order proper tests to diagnose your condition, misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis could occur, costing you valuable time in which you could be seeking treatment.
- Delayed diagnosis of cancer: Many forms of cancer are treatable if diagnosed early enough, but could easily be fatal if not detected.
- Surgical errors: Even with advances in the management of operating rooms and the implementations of new quality assurance processes, surgical errors such as leaving clamps, extractors, sponges or other surgical implements in a patient's body continue to happen in hospitals around the country.
- Anesthesia malpractice: Whether you need a local anesthetic to numb a specific part of your body, are receiving an epidural for delivery or you will be put under general anesthesia for a surgical procedure, any anesthesia must be precisely administered in order to avoid potentially devastating consequences like paralysis or even death.
- Radiology errors: Human errors continue to be the Achilles' heel of many radiologists, and the misreading of X-rays, MRIs and other radiological procedures can have devastating consequences.
- Emergency room negligence: The hectic pace of emergency rooms often results in discharging patients before they are fully stable and missing the obvious signs of serious conditions such as heart attacks or strokes.
- Prescription drug-induced injuries: When doctors or pharmacists do not properly review your medications, they may prescribe drugs that have damaging or fatal interactions.
- Prescription errors: Serious injuries can occur when the incorrect prescription drug or the wrong dose of a medication is distributed. Pharmacists are often held liable, though medical professionals distributing medications in hospital settings can be the negligent party as well.
- Epidural injection injuries: Due to the epidural injection's proximity to the spinal cord, permanent nerve and spinal injuries may occur if the injection is given incorrectly or administered in the wrong location.
- Dental nerve injuries: When a tooth extraction is performed incorrectly, dental nerve injuries and other dental injuries (including a broken jaw) can cause permanent damage and lifelong pain.
Free Lawyer Consultation: To discuss your medical malpractice lawsuit with me, Eugene surgical error lawyer Robert Miller, call my law office at 541-359-4331 (toll free at 866-272-0803) or contact me online. I handle all medical malpractice cases on a contingency fee basis.
