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Wrong Medication And Incorrect Doses May Cause A Wrongful Death
Pills may be small and medication may be easy to swallow, but medicine can be powerful. In fact, when taken incorrectly, medication can actually lead to death. This is why it is critical that doctors are diligent to prescribe the correct medication, nurses and anesthesiologists are careful to administer the right drugs, and pharmacists are thorough when filling prescriptions. When one of these medical professionals makes a mistake along the way, it can have serious consequences for patients, including life-altering effects and death.
Types of Medication Errors that Can Lead to Death
- Hospital medication mistakes. Many patients who arrive at a hospital need some type of medication for their injury or adverse health condition. Although most patients are given the correct medication during their hospital stays, some patients aren't properly monitored and are victims of medical malpractice. For example, a nurse may administer the wrong dose of a drug or get patients mixed up and give someone the wrong medication. Sometimes a patient can be allergic to the medication or the wrong medicine can interact with other medications that the patient is already taking. Anesthesiologists can also be guilty of administering too much or the wrong anesthesia to patients. Even doctors can make critical medication errors when prescribing drugs to patients by writing down the wrong drug name or incorrect dose of medication. When any one of these mistakes occurs, a patient can suffer the adverse health effects-even death. Sadly, some patients fall through the cracks and medications are sometimes overlooked and patients aren't properly monitored. Even failing to prescribe a medication when a patient should have been prescribed one can be medical malpractice. For example, a patient could have needed an anticoagulation medication but wasn't prescribed one, resulting in a stroke and death. Even failure to restart anticoagulants after surgery can lead to death.
Complications Of Forceps Injuries That’ll Hurt Your Child
You've been in labor for over 18 hours and although you are fully dilated and have been pushing for what seems like forever, your baby still hasn't been born. Your doctor believes that he is stuck in the birth canal, and may need help to squeeze through. He suggests using forceps to quickly guide him out before he becomes too distressed. Unfortunately, there isn't much time to waste, so he needs you to make a decision on whether or not you want him to proceed with the forceps, or prep for an emergency C-section.
You have no idea what to do? Are they Safe? Could they hurt your baby? What are the risks?
Common Newborn Delivery Risks of Forceps Use
Birthing forceps are tools used in difficult deliveries in order to help guide, and essentially pull, your baby out of your birth canal. They're primarily used in instances where your baby's shoulders become lodged inside the canal, or you can no longer push hard enough to successfully move the baby to delivery. Since your baby has already progressed into the birth canal, a cesarean (C-section) becomes more difficult. Therefore, your doctor will most likely turn to the forceps as a way to help extract and deliver your little one.
The Warning Signs of Fetal Distress Moms in Virginia Should Know
Fetal distress is not a term that an expecting mother ever wants to hear. Fetal distress can lead to a myriad of problems for the baby and the mother and occurs when the flow of oxygen to the unborn baby is compromised. As a result, the baby's heart rate can go flat. Fetal distress may occur during pregnancy or labor. Our Fairfax birth injury attorneys understand how scary fetal distress can be to the mother and father, so we want you to learn the symptoms.
If you or a loved one is pregnant, watch for the following warning signs of fetal distress:
- Decreased fetal movement
- Vaginal spotting or bleeding
- High blood pressure
- Cramping or pain
- Decreased fetal heart rate
- Low weight gain for the mother
- Meconium is present in the uterus
Fetal distress can also be determined by watching your baby on the fetal monitor in your doctor's office. However, if you are experiencing any of the warning signs indicated above, speak with your doctor's office immediately. Even if something simply does not feel right, call your doctor.
Relationship Losses Caused by Wrongful Death
The unexpected loss of a spouse, parent, child, or sibling is one of the hardest things a family has to endure. When this loss is due to the negligence or intentional act of another person, it can be especially hard.
Although financial losses are the main focus of a lawsuit following a wrongful death, families also need to make a financial recovery for the traumatic effects the loss has on the survivors. Even though loss of income and payment of medical bills should be the main focus of a wrongful death recovery, a financial figure should also be assigned to a family's emotional losses.
How Wrongful Death Affects Relationships
Some of the ways in which surviving family members suffer relationship losses includes:
- Loss of love. Because death prohibits a person from providing their family with love and affection, the surviving family members are left unable to give and receive the same love they did before the accident, which is an intangible but significant loss.
"We Were Just Washed Away": Causes Of Dangerous Flash Floods On Highways
Over the past five years, local microclimates and weather patterns have drastically changed, causing massive flash flooding throughout the entire United States, including Virginia and the District of Columbia. According data from the National Weather Service and the National Flood Insurance Program, flash floods can occur at any time.
A flash flood doesn't just mean a damp basement. A flash flood can cause a wall of water 10 to 20 feet high.
Unfortunately, these floods can also occur without much warning, stranding you and your family on flooded highways, or even causing tragic vehicle accidents and collisions. This is why it is important to know under what conditions a flash flood could potentially occur in order to prepare yourself for any possible danger.
Where Do Flash Flood Waters Come From?
To protect yourself and your family, make sure you're aware of the following potential causes of flash flooding. Although they may appear out of nowhere, you can still prepare yourself, and protect your family from getting caught out in the rain.
Avoiding Rising Waters: How To Drive Safely During A Flood
Flooding is the most common natural disaster worldwide. According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 40 percent of all natural disasters deal with flash flooding, and nearly 200 people a year die as a result. Although 200 people a year doesn't seem like a lot, the National Weather Service estimates that 45 percent of these deaths and injuries occur as a result of preventable vehicle accidents, as drivers attempt to cross flooded roadways.
Although Virginia is generally considered a warm and dry region, over the past decade it has become increasingly susceptible to flooding. Fairfax County alone has over 50 roadway areas that frequently flood during heavy rains, including Lewinsville, Belleville, Brooks Mill, and Hunter Station. This is why it is extremely important not only to know the risks of driving during floods, but also to know how to prevent a flood collision.
Flood Driving Precautions
Flood driving risks can be avoided-and accidents prevented-as long as you know how to properly recognize and identify potential dangers. These six safety steps will help.
Determining The Amount Of Your Settlement After A Serious Back Injury In Virginia
After many weeks of lying in a hospital bed and watching your savings run out, you've finally decided to take action against the person who caused your suffering. There are many benefits to filing a Fairfax car accident lawsuit, such as regular income payments, additional medical treatment, and the replacement of your damaged vehicle. But what you really want to know is: how much can you expect to recover?
Common Car Accident Back Injuries
At Shevlin Smith, we know that the amount of your settlement will depend on the extent-and permanence-of your injury. While every injury is different, here is what you can usually expect from damage to the:
- Vertebrae. An injury to one of the 24 bones (or vertebrae) that make up the spine can cause extreme pain and cause work or movement restrictions for months or even years to come. If your injury has only affected your backbone, it is unlikely that you will suffer paralysis; however, if your job involves heavy lifting, bending or twisting, you may need to seek other employment.
The Truth Behind Medical Negligence Causing Allergic Reactions In Patients
People take medications for many reasons. Whether suffering from a chronic health condition or a temporary injury, patients see their doctors and often receive medications to treat their health conditions. Unfortunately, medical professionals can make mistakes involving medications. Whether in an outpatient environment or in a hospital, things can go wrong and patients can suffer the effects of a medication error, such as an allergic reaction.
In this article, we will discuss the outcomes of allergic reactions and how medical negligence plays a role. Some examples of medical negligence causing a patient to suffer an allergic reaction include:
- Failure to read a patient's medical chart. When a doctor is prescribing a medication, he or she needs to read the patient's file carefully to look for known allergies or other medications the patient is currently taking that could cause an adverse reaction. When oversight occurs, a patient can suffer an allergic reaction.
Avoiding A Catastrophic Injury During Campus Move-In
Security Dos and Don'ts to Have a Safe College Move-In
If you've ever lived around a college town or experienced the chaos that is college move-in, you know how hectic, crazy, and dangerous campus streets can be in September. Approximately 16 million students nationwide live on or near college campuses. This means that at the start of the school year, thousands upon thousands of naive, nervous, and slightly immature teenagers invade college towns, and cause massive congestion, anxiety, and risks for local drivers.
Fortunately, you can help ease these frustrations and protect yourself by following these simple "Dos and Don'ts" of campus student safety:
Dos
- Pay attention: Just because pedestrians generally have the right of way, doesn't mean a car can see you.
- Use crosswalks: Running across the street multiple times to unload your gear can be frustrating, but if you don't use the crosswalk, it could also be deadly.
Symptoms of Shaken Baby Syndrome
Shaken baby syndrome is the primary cause of child abuse deaths in the United States. Shaken baby syndrome leads to traumatic brain injuries in babies and occurs when a baby has been shaken violently or has received a blow to the head. The whiplash from shaking a baby causes the brain to rattle around in the head, which brings about bruising, swelling, and bleeding. According to The National Center On Shaken Baby Syndrome, shaken baby syndrome generally occurs when babies are under one year of age.
Know the Signs
The Fairfax brain injury attorneys at Shevlin Smith understand complex brain injury cases, such as those associated with shaken baby syndrome. If your baby has any of the following symptoms of shaken baby syndrome, seek medical treatment immediately:
- Very lethargic
- Extreme irritability
- Difficulty breathing
- Will not eat
- Vomiting
703-591-0067
10513 Judicial Drive, Suite 200, Fairfax, VA 22030
703-591-0067
From our office in Fairfax, Shevlin Smith, P.C. serves clients throughout Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., including Alexandria, Annandale, Arlington, Ashburn, Burke, Centreville, Dale City, Fair Oaks, Leesburg, Manassas, McLean, Oakton, Reston, Springfield, and Woodbridge, as well as Fairfax County, Arlington County, Fauquier County, Loudoun County, and Prince William County.
Results listed are not a guarantee or indication of future case results.
