When you or a loved one enters a hospital for treatment, you place tremendous trust in medical professionals to provide competent care. The last thing you expect is to suffer harm due to preventable mistakes during surgery or hospital treatment. If a medical error has caused you serious injury, you need experienced legal representation to hold those responsible accountable. At Cowan & Hilgeman, we work tirelessly to help victims of medical negligence recover the compensation they deserve for their suffering and losses.
Hospital And Surgical Error Attorney Dayton OH
Hospital and surgical errors encompass a wide range of preventable mistakes that occur during medical treatment. These errors can happen in operating rooms, emergency departments, patient recovery areas, and throughout hospital facilities. Surgical mistakes may include operating on the wrong body part, leaving surgical instruments inside patients, performing incorrect procedures, or damaging nerves and organs during operations. Hospital errors extend beyond the operating room to include medication mistakes, misdiagnosis, delayed treatment, infections from unsanitary conditions, and failures in patient monitoring.
These medical mistakes often result from communication breakdowns between healthcare teams, inadequate staff training, fatigue from overworked medical personnel, or failure to follow established safety protocols. Sometimes errors stem from poor judgment calls or rushing through procedures without proper care. Whatever the cause, these mistakes can have devastating consequences for patients and their families.
Victims of medical errors may face extended recovery periods, additional surgeries to correct the mistakes, permanent disabilities, chronic pain, and significant emotional trauma. The financial burden can be overwhelming, with mounting medical bills for corrective treatments, lost wages from inability to work, and long-term care expenses. Beyond the physical and financial toll, patients often experience loss of trust in medical systems and profound emotional distress from having their health compromised by those they trusted to heal them.
Experience Matters In Medical Malpractice Cases
When pursuing a medical negligence claim, you need attorneys who understand both the legal and medical aspects of your case. Our firm brings valuable experience to every client's situation:
- We thoroughly investigate each case by reviewing medical records, consulting with medical specialists who can identify deviations from accepted standards of care, and gathering evidence to build strong claims against negligent healthcare providers and institutions
- Our attorneys have successfully represented numerous clients in medical malpractice cases, securing compensation for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and other damages resulting from preventable medical errors
- We understand the tactics insurance companies and healthcare institutions use to minimize their liability, and we prepare comprehensive cases that counter their defenses and demonstrate the full extent of harm caused by medical negligence
- Our team handles all aspects of your claim while you focus on recovery, from filing necessary paperwork within Ohio's statute of limitations to negotiating with insurance adjusters and, if necessary, presenting your case in court
If you believe you or a family member suffered harm due to a hospital or surgical error in Dayton, Ohio, don't wait to seek legal guidance. Medical malpractice cases involve complex legal procedures and strict deadlines, so prompt action is critical to protecting your rights. We offer consultations to evaluate your situation and explain your legal options. Contact our Dayton Hospital and Surgical Error Attorney team today to discuss how we can help you pursue justice and fair compensation for the harm you've endured. Let us fight for your rights while you focus on healing and rebuilding your life.
Types Hospital And Surgical Errors We Assist With
Unfortunately, given the setting in which these medical services are provided, medical mistakes can lead to catastrophic injuries or death. The Ohio hospital & surgical error lawyers at Cowan & Hilgeman offer free case evaluations and only get paid an attorney fee if we win your case and recover compensation. If we do not win your case and recover compensation, you do not pay an attorney fee. We are committed to results.
Emergency Room mistakes and surgical errors are rare, but happen far too often.
- Incorrect Diagnosis and Emergency Room Errors
- Improper Administration of Anesthesia
- Inappropriate Post-Operative Care
- Organ Laceration, Perforation and Puncture
- Surgical Instruments Left in Body
We Aggressively Pursue Cases.
The Ohio hospital & surgical error lawyers at Cowan & Hilgeman will investigate your case, gather all relevant evidence, consult with specialized experts and present your case. We are committed to recovering maximum compensation. Medical mistakes often leave long-lasting effects that require specialty physicians, treatment and medications. These costs are significant. The Ohio medical malpractice lawyers at Cowan & Hilgeman seek maximum compensation to provide for these future costs.
The Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Cowan & Hilgeman handle the following cases:
Foreign Objects left in the Patient's Body
are preventable medical mistakes that should never happen. It has recently been reported that in 1 of 10,000 medical procedures a foreign object (i.e. sponge, surgical utensil) is left in the patient’s body. A Johns Hopkins study recently found that foreign objects are left in the patient’s body 39 times each week. While impossible to prevent every medical mistake, foreign objects left in the patient’s body should never happen and often lead to serious or life-threatening complications.
Surgical Errors
can happen in an instant. A good example of a surgical error is perforation of the bowel during a routine colonoscopy or removal of a polyp. When this happens, bacteria from the bowel infiltrates the abdominal cavity. This might cause sepsis and peritonitis, which infects internal organs such as the lungs, kidneys or liver. If the sepsis isn’t quickly halted, it can cause wrongful death.
Emergency Room Mistakes
often happen due to patient overcrowding, physician understaffing and poor communication among emergency room employees. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calculated that Americans visited the emergency department approximately 140.1 million times last year. It has been estimated that 5%-10% of all emergency room visits are subject to medical errors. This means that between 7 million and 14 million emergency room errors take place each year.
Wrong Site, Wrong Patient or Wrong Procedure Surgeries
involve patients who have undergone surgery on the wrong body part, undergone the incorrect procedure, or had a procedure intended for another patient. These “wrong-site, wrong-procedure, wrong-patient errors” (WSPEs) are rightly termed never events—errors that should never occur and indicate serious underlying safety problems. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services publishes annual statistics on these medical errors.
We pride ourselves on client satisfaction and strive to fully explain:
- All Compensation Available Under Ohio Law
- Medical Bills – Who Pays and How to Get Them Paid
- Lost Wage Repayment
- Out-of-Pocket Cost Reimbursement
- Collection of Medical Records and Bills
- Value of Pain and Suffering
- Expert Reports
- Property Damage Repairs and Diminished Value Claims
Dayton Hospital And Surgical Error FAQ
Everyone relies on medical professionals for quality and accurate healthcare, as a Dayton, OH hospital and surgical attorney understands the importance of. However, medical errors can occur, leading to devastating consequences for patients and their families. In such cases, seeking legal assistance becomes essential. In this blog post, we will explore what qualifies as a hospital or surgical error, the damages you can receive from a hospital error claim, the benefits of hiring a hospital error lawyer, and when it is crucial to seek legal assistance for hospital negligence.
What Qualifies As A Hospital Or Surgical Error?
A hospital or surgical error refers to a preventable mistake or negligence that occurs during medical treatment or while receiving care in a healthcare facility. These errors can encompass a wide range of actions or omissions, including misdiagnosis, medication errors, surgical mistakes, anesthesia errors, infections acquired during hospital stays, or failure to obtain informed consent. It is important to note that not all unfavorable medical outcomes are considered errors. To prove a valid claim, you need to show a link between the error and the breach of standard of care.
What Kind Of Damages Can I Receive From A Hospital Error Claim?
Hospital errors can have severe or even fatal consequences in addition to financial losses for patients as well as their families. When filing a hospital error claim, several types of damages can be pursued. These may include medical expenses (past, present, and future), lost wages or earning capacity, pain and suffering, emotional distress, disability or disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life. An experienced hospital error lawyer can help assess your case and determine the appropriate damages to seek based on the specific circumstances and applicable laws.
What Kinds Of Mistakes Happen During Surgery And Hospital Care?
Medical errors in surgical and hospital settings take numerous forms, all with potentially catastrophic consequences. Wrong-site surgery occurs when surgeons operate on the incorrect body part, wrong side, or wrong patient entirely. Foreign objects left inside patients after procedures include sponges, instruments, needles, or other surgical tools requiring additional operations to remove. Anesthesia errors involve administering too much or too little anesthesia, failing to monitor patients properly, or neglecting to review patient histories for allergies and contraindications. Surgical technique mistakes include cutting wrong structures, damaging nerves or organs, or failing to control bleeding. Post-operative care failures involve inadequate monitoring, missed infections, improper wound care, or delayed responses to complications. Hospital-acquired infections from unsanitary conditions or poor hygiene protocols cause serious illness and death.
Why Do Hospitals And Doctors Fight These Claims Vigorously?
Healthcare providers face enormous pressure to defend against medical malpractice claims for multiple compelling reasons. Malpractice verdicts and settlements directly impact professional reputations, making it harder to attract patients and maintain privileges at medical facilities. Insurance premiums increase significantly after successful claims, affecting long-term practice costs. State medical boards may investigate and sanction physicians found liable for negligence, potentially suspending or revoking licenses. Hospitals worry about accreditation issues and regulatory scrutiny following findings of systemic failures. Admitting fault in one case can encourage additional lawsuits from other patients. Defense strategies include arguing complications were known risks patients accepted, claiming errors didn't cause injuries, asserting patients had pre-existing conditions, or contending care met appropriate standards despite bad outcomes. We counter these arguments with solid evidence and qualified medical testimony.
What Types Of Compensation Can Victims Of Medical Errors Recover?
Damages in surgical and hospital error cases address both economic and non-economic losses victims endure. Economic damages include all medical expenses for corrective surgeries, extended hospitalizations, rehabilitation, medications, medical equipment, home healthcare, and future treatment needs resulting from the error. Lost wages compensate for missed work during recovery, and diminished earning capacity addresses permanent disabilities preventing return to previous employment. Non-economic damages account for physical pain, emotional suffering, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, disfigurement, scarring, and permanent impairment affecting daily activities and relationships. When medical errors cause death, wrongful death claims provide compensation for funeral expenses, lost financial support, and loss of companionship for surviving family members. We calculate damages thoroughly to pursue maximum compensation for all losses.
Contact Us Today!
Cowan & Hilgeman has the experience and resources that are necessary to fully investigate your case and prosecute your claims. If you have questions regarding your claims or benefits, call us today to schedule a free birth injury case consultation.
Why wait? No Risk – No Fee – No Obligation.
See for yourself why so many clients have trusted the birth injury accident attorneys at Cowan & Hilgeman to protect their rights. We are proud to offer free face-to-face birth injury case evaluations. Please contact the Dayton Personal Injury Lawyers at Cowan & Hilgeman to schedule your free initial office consultation today.
