Chicago Hospital Malpractice Lawyer

Patients rely on the medical team's expertise to provide the best care in a medical center or hospital. Typically, a patient's health care provider orchestrates their medical care. Nurses and support staff carry out the physicians' orders and treatment from admission into the medical facility and throughout the stay.

Unfortunately, hospital injuries can be severe for patients undergoing surgery, recuperating during the surgical recovery process, or rehabilitation after a procedure. Some injuries can be severe such as brain damage that leads to cerebral palsy, and even fatalities, resulting in wrongful death malpractice claims.

Our personal injury attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC will ensure your hospital negligence claim has the highest chance of approval to get the compensation you need.

Discuss your compensation claim with our Chicago medical malpractice lawyers, who will protect your rights and seek the compensation you may be entitled to receive. Contact our law firm at (888) 424-5757 to schedule a free consultation.

hospital negligence lawyers near you

Hiring Hospital Malpractice Lawyers

The hospital negligence lawyers at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers represent clients injured by their healthcare provider in a doctor's office, hospital, or medical center.

Our Chicago personal injury team currently represents clients throughout the United States, Illinois, Cook County, DuPage County, Kane County, Lake County, Will County, Arlington Heights, Aurora, Chicago, Elgin, Joliet, Naperville, and Waukegan. Contact us for your free consultation and case evaluation.

Our Chicago law firm currently follows CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Covid-19 guidelines on social distancing to maintain everyone's well-being.

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When It's Time to Talk to an Experienced Hospital Negligence Lawyer

According to an established standard of care, all patients deserve medical care in a clean and well-run hospital. All medical providers working in the hospital and emergency rooms have a duty of care to provide each patient with needed treatment, rehabilitation, or surgical procedure to treat their medical condition.

However, some medical facilities have a broken system where medical errors, anesthesia errors, nursing errors, wrong treatment, and surgical mistakes cause catastrophic problems resulting in harm to the patient.

Examples of systematic errors in medical malpractice cases include:

A healthcare professional administering the wrong medication
Performing the wrong medical procedure on a patient
Performing the procedure on the wrong patient
Allowing bedsores (pressure sores) to develop during the patient's stay
Failing to follow doctor orders
Misdiagnosing or failure to diagnose a life-threatening condition
Labor and delivery problems that result in birth injuries, brain damage, or cerebral palsy
Using outdated or broken equipment (wheelchairs, beds, tables, etc.)
Medical experts failing to protect patients from physical harm from intruders or hospital employees
Giving patients the wrong food

Failure to maintain complete and comprehensive medical records to identify allergies, medication reactions quickly, and advanced directives have injured and killed thousands of healthcare malpractice victims.

Injured victims of healthcare malpractice can sue a hospital for negligence. This legal theory differs from filing a healthcare malpractice lawsuit against a doctor for healthcare professionals' errors.

Independent Contractor in Medical Negligence

An independent contractor is a doctor, nurse, or other health care provider who is not an employee of the hospital. If the negligence of an independent contractor harmed you, you might still have a claim against the hospital.

To hold a hospital liable for the negligence of an independent contractor, you will need to prove that the hospital was negligent in its selection or supervision of the contractor. Proving negligence in a hospital setting can be a complex task, and working with an experienced healthcare malpractice lawyer is crucial.

hospital negligence may involve doctors nurses and staff

You Can Sue the Hospital: How a Medical Negligence Attorney Can Help

In addition to hospital errors resulting from inadequate hospital policy, the hospital’s negligence of individual hospital staff members, and nurses may cause or contribute to a patient's injuries.

Examples of individual hospital staff negligence that commonly translate into severe injuries or death of the patient include:

Dropping patients
Failing to assist with transfers in and out of bed
Improperly drawing blood

Medical malpractice lawsuits often involve long-lasting pain and suffering. The state legislature attempted to restrict the amount victims filing medical malpractice claims could recover in damages but the Illinois Supreme Court struck down a law that limited how much victims can recover.

You now may be able to receive damages for economic losses such as lost income, retirement funds, and emotional distress.

You can seek compensation for harm caused to you through a hospital error by a healthcare professional in various practice areas, including:

Surgical malpractice
Dental malpractice
Hospital malpractice
Chiropractic malpractice
Birth injury malpractice, including cerebral palsy and brain damage

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Patient Falls in Hospitals and Illinois Medical Centers

The medical team preventing patient falls continues to be the most extensive safety issue in hospitals in the United States. A study done by the Flex Monitoring Team showed that falls account for 84% of all inpatient incidents, and 30% of these hospital falls are thought to result in serious injuries.

The falls often happen due to negligence on the part of the medical facility, including:

Inadequate assistance medical devices for the patient
Failure to diagnose a medical condition
Not preparing for medication side effects
An inattentive or understaffed medical team

Hospital fall victims tend to stay in the facility longer and generate higher medical expenses. The total medical bills are 60% higher for those who have a fall in the hospital, and it is expected that these costs will reach more than $54 billion nationwide!

Hospital Negligence

Negligent actions by hospital staff can cause serious harm or even death to patients. Besides the hospital, other medical professionals that can be liable for a negligent act are doctors, surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and pharmacists.

Your state's medical malpractice statute of limitations may be as short as one year. If you were injured in a hospital, you need to act quickly.

Hospital liability in medical negligence cases can be highly complex. There are many different types of healthcare providers involved in a patient's care, from doctors and nurses to therapists and pharmacists.

Hospital negligence in birth injuries, surgery, anesthesia, and emergency care can be devastating. If you or your loved one has been the victim of hospital malpractice, it's essential to speak with an experienced hospital malpractice attorney to discuss your legal process options.

Physical therapy is an essential part of many hospital treatments. Unfortunately, errors made during physical therapy can lead to injuries.

examples of hospital negligence

Numerous Medical Malpractice Cases

$965,000 Settlement; Hospital Medical Malpractice Claim; Cook County, Illinois

A male victim in his early 60s was involved in a medical malpractice lawsuit with a hospital and nursing home.

In 2014, the patient entered a nursing facility without bedsores (pressure wounds, decubitus ulcers) on his body.

However, bedsores began to develop while he was living in the nursing center and he deteriorated. He sought medical treatment in the hospital emergency room. His bedsores had formed on his spinal region of the spine.

The bedsores worsened while receiving treatment from a medical professional team in the hospital. The victim believes that the hospital medical professionals never heeded warnings nor followed the admittance documents prepared by the convalescent home before his bedsores degraded to a life-threatening Stage IV.

The victim underwent debridement (cutting away dead tissue) and reconstructive surgery at the hospital. Due to his injuries, he filed a civil lawsuit against the hospital, doctors, and the nursing facility, claiming that their combined healthcare malpractice caused him pain, disfigurement, disability, and extensive medical bills.

The defendants (hospital, medical professional, and nursing facility) agreed to a negotiated settlement of $870,000 compensation for the injured victim. The medical facility paid $95,000 in compensation, and the nursing facility paid the balance of the medical malpractice claim.

$6,450,000 Settlement; Hospital Medical Malpractice Case; Cook County, Illinois

A fifty-five-year-old woman was admitted for surgery at a Chicago hospital to undergo an implant pacemaker procedure. After the surgery, she began bleeding and suffering other severe complications.

The nursing staff decided to monitor her for nearly a month at the facility. After her discharge from the facility, she returned with breathing difficulty and other troubling symptoms a few days later.

Soon afterward, she went into shock, had a heart attack, and died. The personal injury attorney for her estate discovered the original pacemaker procedure caused all her issues (medical malpractice).

Her surviving spouse and four children filed a medical malpractice claim, citing untimely death against the hospital and medical professionals. The plaintiffs' trial lawyers pointed out that all the facility's medical mistakes and the ultimate consequence the woman endured led to her death.

Working with their medical malpractice lawyer, the family chose to resolve their malpractice case by accepting a negotiated settlement of $6.45 million on behalf of their loved one to recoup their damages.

patient injured in Illinois hospital

Choose Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Attorneys Who Understand Illinois Law

Even if the circumstances regarding a patient's injuries during hospitalization are unclear, Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers will investigate the legal issue and provide you with answers surrounding the incident. Contact us for your free case evaluation.

Once there is some clarity regarding the facts, our hospital malpractice attorneys can work with the hospital's risk manager on a settlement or proceed with a hospital lawsuit against the medical institution and its employees.

Many Illinois medical malpractice law firms understandably shy away from hospital negligence cases because they can be too challenging and time-consuming.

However, our entire personal injury legal team from our law firm has experience both negotiating settlements and trying hospital negligence cases in court. We take the time to build a provable case to hold medical providers responsible for the damages they cause.

Families who lost a loved one through a preventable death can file a wrongful death lawsuit. These medical malpractice claims pay for damages, including:

Medical expenses
Lost income
Loss of consortium
Funeral and burial expenses
Pain and suffering

do not accept poor care in Chicago hospital

Illinois Hospital Medical Negligence Injury FAQs

The hospital negligence lawyers at our Chicago law firm understand many people are confused about filing and resolving a medical malpractice case. Contact our law firm today at (888) 424-5757 for a free case review if you need additional information and legal advice to recover compensation for your pain and suffering, lost wages, future wages, and punitive damages.

Below, we have answered common questions:

Can You Sue a Hospital If You Fall?

Falling in a hospital setting or medical center may be considered malpractice if the accident occurred while receiving a doctor's treatment. Typically, slips and falls while a patient is in the hospital tend to be submitted as a premises liability compensation claim.

Talking to an attorney specializing in medical negligence cases can help you determine your claim's legal status for compensation. With legal help, you could recover maximum compensation for your damages.

What to Do If a Patient Falls in a Hospital?

Immediately after the fall, check the patient's vital signs, blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing. Next, look for any injuries like a scrape, cut, broken bones, or bruises to determine if they have any underlying problems that could make their condition worse.

If you were not close by when the person fell, ask them or others to describe what happened. Do not move the injured person from their location until a qualified medical staff member can ensure that moving them will not exacerbate their injuries.

What Is Fall Risk in a Hospital?

Falls in an acute care inpatient hospital tend to result in serious injuries, longer hospital stays, and relocations to long-term nursing facilities for healing. Risk assessment shows people experienced elevated levels of depression and anxiety after a fall in a hospital setting.

These injured people often develop a sense of loss of confidence in self-care.

Why Do Patients Fall in the Hospital?

Nearly hospital patients temporarily residing in an unfamiliar environment may become confused. Most patients receive treatment and medications, undergo surgeries, heal from acute illnesses, or receive specialized care.

Some patients have mobility challenges due to catheters or other various tubes that could increase the potential risk of falling when the tubes get in the way. In the end, a fall devastated the patient who experiences harm and affects families, friends, and the nursing staff providing care.

How Often Do Falls Occur in the Hospital?

According to statistics maintained by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), falls in hospitals are common occurrences, especially among the elderly. Epidemiological studies involving older people reveal that falls happen at a rate of approximately 3 to 5 out of every 1000 bed-days.

This statistic revealed that approximately 1 million individuals in hospitals and medical centers fall every year.

How Can We Reduce Hospital Falls?

The nursing staff, family members, and visitors may take steps to minimize or prevent a fall. First, the medical team needs to identify all patients at high risk for falling and provide those residents with safety companions.

Next, keep the TV remote control and light switches close by and within reach of patients to minimize reaching or getting out of bed or a wheelchair without supervision. Finally, keep the area clear of debris to ensure a walking resident does not trip over objects in their path.

142 hospitals in Illinois

Hospital Injury Lawyers in Chicago, IL, Who Aren't Afraid to Fight for Your Rights

The personal injury attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC handle medical malpractice claims and medical malpractice lawsuits through a contingency fee agreement so that you avoid paying any upfront fees.

Contact our hospital malpractice attorneys at (888) 424-5757 to schedule a free consultation to discuss your malpractice lawsuit options in settling with insurance companies or taking your compensation case to trial.

Our law firm's practice areas include motor vehicle crashes, work-related accidents, premises liability, medical malpractice, dental malpractice, nursing home abuse, product liability, and wrongful death.

Attorneys from our law offices currently represent clients who have suffered harm due to hospital negligence throughout the state of Illinois and the United States. Call our law firm today for a free consultation.

All communication with our Chicago medical malpractice lawyers remains confidential through an attorney-client relationship.

Resources:

National Institutes of Health – Medical Malpractice

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Jonathan did a great job helping my family navigate through a lengthy lawsuit involving my grandmother's death in a nursing home. Through every step of the case, Jonathan kept my family informed of the progression of the case. Although our case eventually settled at a mediation, I really was impressed at how well prepared Jonathan was to take the case to trial. Lisa

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