In our experience, health care providers rarely disclose that a medical mistake or negligence occurred. This is true even for health care providers who become involved in patient care after the mistake or negligence has already occurred. As a result, medical records often need to be obtained in order to determine what happened. In 2005, Virginia passed a law that…
Medical malpractice is when a medical provider has not acted in accordance with recognized standards of care. Typically, when a patient is diagnosed with infection, a course of treatment with antibiotics is required. If your infection was diagnosed as some other type of illness, if you were given an antibiotic that was not proper for your type of infection, or…
Drug toxicity is a problem that often goes unnoticed by patients and doctors. Typically, someone will start having strange side effects or experience an overall health deterioration, but medical professionals may fail to recognize the symptoms, order lab tests, or perform physical exams to determine the cause of the patient’s adverse health condition. This is because the medication a person…
The term “catastrophic” injury is used in the legal community as a means of differentiating between injuries that are severe and generally permanent in nature from injuries that are less severe and generally temporary in nature. A catastrophic injury can occur as a result of medical malpractice, a car accident, a truck accident, or some other type of event. The term “catastrophic”…
A spinal cord injury is defined as damage to the spinal cord that leads to neurological deficits — such as paralysis, weakness, numbness, or an inability to control bowel and bladder functions. The spinal cord can be injured by: (1) direct trauma (accident or fall); (2) loss of sufficient blood supply due to internal bleeding, prolonged compression from a herniated disc,…
Although many women arrive at the birthing center of their local hospitals in labor and hope to have a natural delivery, sometimes problems occur and an emergency C-section delivery is required. This is often the case when the baby is in distress, if there is a prolapsed cord, and when uterine rupture or placental abruption occurs. A C-section is also…
About 800,000 people in the U.S. have a stroke every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Sadly, strokes are the fifth leading cause of death, and one of the main causes of disabilities in adults. In fact, one type of disabling effect of a stroke is brain damage. Because oxygen and the blood supply to the brain are…
Once you know that you or a loved one has been the victim of medical negligence, you may know you have a legal claim but you may still have many questions. For example, you may not know what to expect from working with an attorney, filing a legal claim, or knowing if your case will settle or go to trial.…
When a baby is born, it is supposed to be one of the most joyous days in a person’s life; however, far too many times, infant births are marked by birth injuries that affect a baby’s life as well as the entire family’s future. This is the case when paralysis at birth occurs. Typically, infant paralysis occurs from medical malpractice.…
Sometimes injuries can occur at the time of delivery that can cause an infant to suffer a seizure. If this is the case, it is possible that a newborn suffered an injury to the brain that caused the seizure. Seizures in infants are called neonatal seizures that can include any of the following: Repetitive facial movements Unusual bicycle-type movements Gazing…