Chicago Surgical Error Lawyer

We instill our trust in a physician and their medical team when we undergo surgery and place our lives in their hands.

While there is never a guarantee in any successful medical procedure, and we are aware of the existing surgical risks, when physicians adhere to trusted techniques, surgical errors – including surgical mistakes – can be significantly reduced.

Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC is an established personal injury law firm ready to prosecute a preventable surgical error involving a serious injury or death of someone you love to the fullest extent of the law in Illinois.

With our years of experience, our specialized Chicago surgical error law firm has helped clients get compensation for severe injuries to their loved ones.

Contact our medical malpractice lawyers at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone number) for a legal consultation to discuss your legal options.

What Is a Surgical Error?

Surgical errors devastate injured patients because they can cause serious, life-threatening injuries. Some surgical errors include:

• Incorrect patient identification
• Too little anesthesia
• Incorrect surgical procedure
• Wrong site surgery
• Leaving foreign objects in the patient's body after surgery
• Operating on the wrong patient on the surgical table

Healthcare providers must treat patients according to established standards of care. Failing to follow those standards is considered medical malpractice.

Typically, these errors occur due to human error or equipment failure, and they can have tragic consequences for the patient. A doctor and health care professional can make mistakes due to fatigue, stress, or simple negligence.

To reduce the risk of a completely preventable mistake, hospitals and healthcare providers should have standard protocols for every type of surgery. Surgeons, the surgical team, and other healthcare providers should be trained to execute these protocols to avoid medical malpractice.

Surgical Error Lawyer for Injured Victims of Medical Malpractice Involving a Surgical Procedure

If you have serious injuries from a healthcare provider's mistake, you can file a medical malpractice claim to pursue compensation for your damages.

Our Chicago medical malpractice attorneys regularly work with medical experts on surgical error claims and nursing home neglect lawsuits.

All of our surgical malpractice cases are handled on a contingency fee basis, with only a fee charged when we successfully obtain a recovery for you. If we do not get you a settlement, our services are free.

Call our medical malpractice legal team today and schedule a free consultation through your free case evaluation.

Medical Practitioners' Deviation from Good Surgical Care

Since surgeries carry risks, surgeons are not responsible for all procedure complications or "bad outcomes."

However, surgeons are responsible for most common surgical errors in the operating room when their negligence results in permanent disability and even death.

A surgical error occurs by "deviations from the standard of care" when healthcare professionals fail to act reasonably or commit medical errors due to poor communication with the hospital staff.

Common Surgical Errors Leading to A Medical Malpractice Claim

Our experienced Chicago, Illinois, surgical error attorneys can help make sense of your situation and distinguish between unavoidable surgical mistakes when providing appropriate care and those resulting from medical mistakes. Contact us to schedule a free consultation.

The following types of surgical errors merit further investigation and might be attributable to medical malpractice and can result in serious injuries or even death of the patient.

• Organs such as bowel perforation cuts or punctures that were not involved in the surgery
• Fractured bones with unknown origin
• Surgeons operating on the wrong body part (wrong-site errors)
• Nerve damage during surgery
• Surgical instruments left in the patient's body
• Anesthesiologist errors (anesthesia errors, too much anesthesia) lead to permanent brain injury.
• Burns of unknown origin
• Perforated internal organs
• Medication errors
• Wrong site surgery
• Internal bleeding or excessive bleeding
• Accidental hemorrhage caused by lacerations and serious injury to surrounding tissues
• Severe post-surgical infection
• Death

Making a preventable mistake, including an unnecessary surgery, violates the medical professional oath to "do no harm." Many medical malpractice claims involve errors made by surgical staff who violate their duty to treat patients with the utmost care.

Surgical Errors That Should Not Happen

Unfortunately, some federal healthcare regulators consider negligent medical mistakes as "never events," meaning that they make surgical mistakes that should never happen, yet they do.

Wrong patients and wrong-site surgeries are not just urban legends. A misdiagnosis followed by an unnecessary procedure could create catastrophic results, leading to a medical malpractice claim.

A University of Colorado study revealed the cause of such events. The researchers looked at twenty-five wrong patients and 107 wrong-site surgeries.

The study concluded the following were the causes of the misplaced surgeries:

• Judgment: The medical team's judgment was involved in 85% of the wrong parts surgeries
• Communication: Poor communication was cited as a cause of the mistake in 100% of the wrong patient errors.
• Diagnosis: The diagnosis was listed as one of the causes of the surgeon's mistake in over half of the wrong patient surgeries.

Surgical Errors Considered to Be 'Never Events'

Other "never events" include leaving a foreign object inside a patient, operating on the wrong limb, and performing the incorrect procedure.

In a John Hopkins Medicine study of these events, researchers looking at surgical error cases found that at least 80,000 mistakes happened over two decades in the United States.

According to the Hopkins study, each week in America, an average of 39 foreign objects are left inside patients, 20 surgeries are performed on the wrong person, and 20 more surgeries are performed on the wrong part.

With so many procedure errors every day, it can only be speculated how many other surgical mistakes are made during a patient's preoperative and post-surgical care.

How Do the Courts Value Surgical Error Claims?

The plaintiff or their surgical error lawyer value the case, not the courts, when a surgical error claim is filed with the defendant's insurance company, and no medical malpractice lawsuit has been filed with the justice system.

When a plaintiff's attorney calculates the value of a surgical mistake case, they will typically seek a negotiated settlement rather than going to court. This decision is based on the knowledge that most medical malpractice claims are resolved through negotiated settlements after the plaintiff's attorney has determined the value of their case.

By seeking a negotiated settlement, the plaintiff and defendant can avoid the costs and uncertainties of a trial by resolving their medical malpractice claim.

Additionally, settlements typically result in a more favorable outcome for the plaintiff than would be available through a court judgment.

Creating an Affidavit of Merit

An affidavit of merit is a document used in civil tort law to verify the validity of a claim. The affidavit of merit must be signed by an attorney who has knowledge of the case and states that they believe the claim has merit.

The affidavit of merit is used to show that the plaintiff has a valid legal claim and to help ensure that frivolous lawsuits are not filed.

The Negotiation Process

Nearly 95% of all medical malpractice claims are resolved through negotiated settlement meetings after the plaintiff's attorney calculates the value of their client's surgical error case.

The first step in this process is determining whether the medical malpractice claim has merit. If it does, the next step is to figure out what the potential value of the case may be. Calculating the case's worth looks at several factors, such as:

• The severity of the injury
• How long it takes for the patient to recover
• How much money the patient will need to cover medical bills, lost wages, and other damages

Once the case's value is determined, the plaintiff's attorney will reach out to the defendant's attorney to see if they are interested in settling. If both parties are amenable to a settlement, they will usually meet in person to discuss possible terms. The case will go to trial if they cannot agree to settle.

The Discovery Process

The discovery process is a critical stage in any civil tort case. Through the discovery process, both the plaintiff and the defendant share evidence to build their cases.

This evidence can include witness statements, documents, medical records, and other evidence that could be used in court. The discovery process ensures both sides have all relevant information available, and it allows both sides to question witnesses and ask for clarification on any potential evidence.

The discovery process is necessary to ensure a fair trial.

Litigating Medical Malpractice Claims

Both sides will litigate a medical malpractice case to resolve the claim for financial compensation. The plaintiff will file a complaint with the court, alleging that the defendant was negligent in their treatment of the plaintiff.

The defendant will file a motion to dismiss the complaint, arguing that they were not negligent. The court will hear a motion to dismiss and determine whether to allow the case to proceed.

If the court allows the case to proceed, the parties will begin discovery, exchanging information about the case, including current medical records.

The defendant's attorney will also ask to see the victim's past medical records to find ways to diminish the case's value when it's time to resolve the claim. Most records contain medical jargon describing what procedures were performed, what happened, and what each healthcare provider did before, during, and after the surgery.

The parties will attend a pretrial conference to discuss settlement offers that have been made.

If the parties cannot settle, they will go to trial.

Expect a Lengthy Process

The plaintiff in a medical malpractice case can expect a lengthy and challenging process that may take many years to resolve. If the case goes to trial, the plaintiff can expect a long and emotional process, the possibility of a jury awarding a sizeable financial settlement or judgment.

In most cases, however, the parties negotiate a settlement before trial. In a negotiated settlement, the plaintiff can expect to receive a financial award based on their medical records, the severity of their injuries, and other factors such as medical expenses and lost wages.

Medical malpractice victims and the defendants' insurers usually want to avoid going to trial due to the jury's unpredictability. Either side could:

• Provide expert testimony challenging the other side
• Find problems in the patient's medical records
• Provide expert testimony supporting or opposing the testimony of the lead surgeon and others involved in the procedure that went wrong
• Create confusion for jurors deciding the case

What To Expect When the Case Is Finally Over

If you agree to a settlement, you will sign papers that waive future medical malpractice claims against the surgeon/healthcare provider and their insurer. Your Chicago surgical error lawyer will receive the amount from the insurance policy.

Our attorneys would take your case on a contingency fee basis and be reimbursed from the settlement according to the terms of the fee arrangement you made.

Your attorney will settle other financial obligations, such as group insurance claims or hospital-placed liens. After that, they will send you the remaining money.

Appealing a Decision or Delaying Compensation

The insurer could appeal a decision in your favor if you won a lawsuit. You might have to wait longer to get paid if you file an appeal. Your attorney will continue to offer legal services to prepare you and your case for the appellate process.

The lengthy and expensive process of trials and appeals is one of the primary reasons that most medical malpractice cases are settled.

How A Surgical Error Lawyer Can Help

Hiring a Chicago surgical error lawyer specializing in resolving medical malpractice claims is essential because they will have the experience and expertise to get you the best possible outcome. An experienced attorney will know what evidence to gather and how to build your case.

Our reputable law firm can negotiate a fair settlement with the defendant's attorney. If the medical malpractice claim goes to trial, we will be there every step to ensure you have the best chance of winning.

Surgical Error Injuries FAQs

Our personal injury law firm understands that many families have unanswered questions when dealing with medical malpractice claims and seeking compensation for damages.

Our Chicago surgical error lawyers have answered some common questions below. Call us at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone call) or use the contact form for additional information or to schedule a free initial evaluation to discuss your surgical mistake situation.

Experienced Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyers Helping Victims of Surgical Errors

The surgical error attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC fully prosecute all medical malpractice against surgeons and health care providers through the law in Illinois or applicable jurisdiction.

When surgical mistakes result in the death of a loved one, family member, or spouse, we will pursue a medical malpractice lawsuit based on a preventable death to recover compensation under the Illinois Wrongful Death Act.

Our personal injury lawyers offer a free case consultation for all medical malpractice victims to advise you on your legal options regarding a possible surgical error lawsuit. Contact our medical malpractice attorneys at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone number) or use the contact form to schedule a free case evaluation.

Contingency Fee Agreement

Our Chicago, IL, law offices will handle your medical malpractice lawsuit on a contingency fee arrangement. This agreement ensures that you pay our personal injury attorneys' fee only if there is a recovery for you.

All discussions with our Chicago, IL, medical malpractice lawyers will remain confidential through an attorney-client relationship.

With surgical errors being one of our practice areas, our law firm currently represents clients in the following localities: Cook County, DuPage County, Kane County, Lake County, Will County, Peoria County, Naperville, and other cities in Chicagoland.

Resources:

• Medical Malpractice and Surgical Mistakes | JAMA
• Incorrect Surgery Site | AHRQ