Category: Medical Malpractice

How Brain Injuries Are Caused by Doctors, Hospitals, and Medical Professionals

Although patients trust hospitals and medical professionals to treat them appropriately and take their health seriously, their doctors’ actions may be thrown into question when brain damage results from a procedure or medication. Families who have received the news that a loved one has suffered a serious or permanent brain injury are forced to look for answers, and one of the first questions they ask is, “How did this happen?”

Brain Injuries Can Be a Tragic Consequence of a Medical Error

It’s not easy to think about, but doctors, nurses, and other care professionals sometimes make mistakes that cause brain damage in a patient. While some brain injuries are completely unrelated to medical malpractice, it is possible for a brain injury to arise from a medical error or mistake, such as:

• Errors during surgery. Surgery errors can result in brain injuries when doctors make a mistake during the procedure, fail to spot dangerous infections, and accidentally deprive the brain of oxygen.
• Anesthesia errors. If anesthesia isn’t handled appropriately, a patient can suffer severe brain damage from even a simple procedure.
• Medication mistakes. Prescription errors, inappropriately prescribed medication, a failure to recognize dangerous drug interactions, and other issues could leave doctors or pharmacies liable if brain damage results.
• Undiagnosed or misdiagnosed disorders. If strokes, tumors, and other conditions are ignored, misdiagnosed, or not thoroughly diagnosed, the error can lead to a patient suffering what could have been preventable brain damage.
• Nursing mistakes. Nurses play an important role in a patient’s health, and a nurse who misses important vital signs, administers the wrong treatments, or makes a mistake in a patient’s records could be responsible for a patient’s brain damage.
• Poorly managed respiratory assistance. If a patient’s intubation, oxygen therapy, or other respiratory management fails or is mismanaged, brain damage can result.
• Mismanaged birth and delivery. When a doctor makes a mistake during delivery, the newborn infant can suffer brain damage, which might not become apparent until the child is older.

You and Your Family Can Get Help If You’ve Suffered Brain Damage Due to Medical Malpractice

On top of the stress and changes that come with a serious brain injury, families are often left unsure if a doctor or hospital was to blame for a loved one’s injury. If you have questions about your rights, or if you need help finding out the truth about what happened to your loved one, don’t hesitate to contact our Chicago office directly, or request your free copy of our book, What to Do If You Have Been Injured by Your Doctors or Hospital.

As you sit by your loved one’s bedside, it can be hard to predict all of the possible costs of a brain injury. It is difficult to imagine all of the emotional, physical, and financial repercussions of a doctor’s negligence. However, it is also important to plan for the future after a medical malpractice incident changes the course of your life.

The Costs You Could Incur

Every individual is unique and so too is every brain injury; it is not possible for us to provide you with the specific cost of your loved one’s brain injury in a blog post. However, we can encourage you to think about the following costs:

• Medical costs. Your loved one’s ongoing medical care may be expensive. Hospital stays in Chicago, rehabilitation therapies, nursing home costs, in-home health care, and other costs can add up very quickly.
• Lost income. If your loved one can no longer earn the money he earned prior to his accident, that is a significant cost to your family.
• Emotional suffering. There is no price that can be put on the emotional suffering that your loved one has to endure because of the negligence of a doctor or hospital.
• Physical pain. The pain can be excruciating and limit what your loved one can do after a brain injury.
• Out-of-pocket costs. The costs of household help in your Chicago-area home can be expensive.
• Other damages. Think about all of your costs, and talk to your lawyer about how to recover for them.

We can also encourage you to find out how to recover for these costs and make a fair recovery.

Get Started Today

Don’t let these costs add up without getting the relief that you deserve. Instead, learn how you can take care of your loved one, yourself, and your family by reading our FREE book, What to Do If You’ve Been Hurt by Your Doctors or Hospital.

It was not the outcome you expected. You knew your spouse was sick—seriously ill. That is why you rushed her to the emergency room at Skokie Hospital in the middle of the night.

Yet, you still have many questions about why your spouse died. Was it really the result of the underlying illness or injury that brought her to the emergency room, or was it because of the actions or inactions of emergency room staff? Would your spouse still be alive if emergency room staff had acted differently?

How to Find Out the Truth

You need to know why your loved one died for two reasons. First, you deserve to have your questions answered as you grieve. Second, you may have a medical malpractice case if emergency room staff were negligent in their care.

You can find out the truth by asking the right questions. Those questions may include:

• How soon was my spouse seen by a doctor?
• What triage was conducted to determine if my spouse needed help?
• What tests were done to diagnose my spouse’s condition?
• What medications was my spouse provided?
• Was a medical history taken?

Of course, the doctors and hospital are unlikely to provide you with complete and accurate information just because you ask for it. Instead, you may need to go through the legal process with the help of an experienced and compassionate lawyer who can help you get the answers that you need.

Please fill out our online contact form today to learn more about your rights.

It could have started with a misdiagnosis by your doctor at the Cicero Health Center, an anesthesia error at University of Illinois Hospital, or some other form of medical negligence at any Chicago-area medical facility. The mistake made by your doctor, nurse, or medical facility left you with a serious brain injury that has changed your whole life. The things that were once routine are now difficult, and the future that you once eagerly anticipated is now frightening.

What You Can Do Now

There are some things that you should not have to worry about after a brain injury. However, in order to cross these particular worries off your list, you may need to file a medical malpractice claim. More specifically, a medical malpractice claim can help you:

• Get the medical care you need
• Pay your bills
• Get ready for a new future

If you don’t file a timely claim, however, you may struggle to get the medical care that you need and live the life you want.

You May Only Have One Chance to Get This Right

You may only have once chance to file a medical malpractice claim to recover damages for a brain injury. Thus, it is important that you file the claim in a timely fashion and that you make the right decisions with regard to your claim. To find out more about how to do this, please read our free report, What to Do If You’ve Been Injured by Your Doctors or Hospital, and please contact us directly.

Boston US Attorney Carmen Ortiz is joining Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette in announcing new developments in a state and federal investigation of New England Compounding Center’s role in nationwide outbreaks of fungal meningitis.  The company sold steroid injection materials that have been linked to hundreds of meningitis and other infections around the country.

Meningitis, an inflammation of the lining surrounding the brain and spinal cord, can be a crippling, and even deadly infection that affects the central nervous system. Meningitis can be caused by bacterial infections, fungal infections, or viruses. Meningitis can be fatal within hours, so it’s important to know the symptoms.  The first symptoms are usually fever, vomiting, headache and feeling generally unwell.  Other symptoms of meningitis may include rash (anywhere on the body), sensitivity to bright light, lethargy or unusual sleepiness (difficulty waking), confusion and seizure activity.

Because a person suffering from meningitis can become seriously ill very quickly, if you suspect any of the above symptoms, you should trust your instincts and get the person to medical help as quickly as possible. Oftentimes, if detected early enough, meningitis can be treated successfully.  On the other hand, if not treated promptly enough, meningitis can case severe neurological injuries, brain damage and even death. The victims of poorly managed meningitis often suffer life-changing losses… crippling physical and economic damages and emotional tolls.

If you or a loved one has been injured by meningitis, we may be able to help you to take action.  Please contact the attorneys of Lane Brown, LLC, or call us at 312-332-1400 to speak with us about your options. We can help.

4The Nursing Home Reform Act was passed in 1987 in an effort to reduce nursing home negligence and to ensure a standard of quality care for residents depending on the long-term care provided by medical professionals. And today, despite the laws and regulations that have been put in place over the 25 years, nursing home negligence is still prevalent. Patients are injured, go unfed, and are neglected, often left helpless to respond to the poor care being provided to them. However, because The Residents’ Bill of Rights exists, guilty parties can be held accountable for deliberate neglect and denial of patient rights.

If you believe your loved one has been the victim of nursing home neglect in Illinois, an experienced attorney can help you better understand these patient rights, and who might be liable if your loved one was injured.

The Residents’ Bill of Rights

• The right to freedom from abuse, neglect, and mistreatment.
• The right to freedom from physical restraints.
• Right to privacy.
• The right to have accommodations for medical, physical, psychological, and social needs.
• The right to participate in resident and family groups.
• The right to be treated with dignity.
• The right to exercise self-determination.
• The right to communicate freely (with family, friends, other residents, and staff).
• The Right to participate in the review or one’s care plan, and to be fully informed in advance about any changes in care, treatment, or change of status in the facility.
• The Right to voice grievances without fear of discrimination or reprisal.

Our experienced, personal injury attorneys at Lane Brown have a successful history of fighting for the rights of victims of serious injury or wrongful death accidents. We may be able to help you receive the compensation you are entitled to after a nursing home neglect incident. Call 312-332-1400 today to schedule your free case evaluation.