Unfortunately, every year preventable mistakes occur in surgery that are costly to Indianan victims. These types of medical errors are commonly referred to as never events because they should not take place and do not need to take place. When a victim of medical malpractice has suffered from a never event, it is important for them to be familiar with the legal resources protecting them.
Never events refer to medical errors, such as performing surgery on the wrong part of the patient’s body, performing the wrong surgery on the patient or on the wrong patient altogether or leaving a foreign object behind in the patient’s body during surgery. Based on their study, researchers estimated that doctors left a foreign object, such as a sponge behind in a patient’s body 39 times each week; performed the wrong procedure 20 times each week; and, operated on the wrong site of the body 20 times each week.
This is troubling for victims who place their trust and care in doctors and may suffer physical, financial and emotional damages as a result. In total, 59 percent of victims are reported to suffer injuries as a result of surgical medical errors, 30 percent suffer permanent injuries and a little over 6 percent of the time the medical error is fatal for the victim. Medical malpractice legal protections can help victims, and their families, recover compensation for their physical, financial and emotional injuries including medical expenses, lost wages and pain and suffering damages.
When a doctor has performed negligent surgery on a patient, they may be left wondering what to do which is why it is helpful for victims and their family members to be aware of the legal remedies available to safeguard them. The legal process can hold negligent medical care providers accountable and help injured victims and their families with the damages they are left with following a medical error and instance of medical malpractice.