Medical professionals are humans, which means they can make mistakes when caring for patients, similar to how a driver might violate a traffic law or a landowner might forget to check for property hazards. However, it is hard to imagine how a qualified surgeon would make the egregious error of operating on the wrong area of a patient’s body, yet this malpractice occurs many times every year in hospitals all over the country.
Wrong site surgery malpractice in Harrisburg can serve as grounds for a civil lawsuit, especially if you sustained serious physical trauma from the incorrect surgery or from your original medical problem going untreated. Malpractice litigation can be exceptionally difficult to pursue on your own, no matter the circumstances. You should seek support from one of the experienced medical malpractice attorneys from Lowenthal & Abrams as early as possible in your legal proceedings.
How Negligence Can Cause a Wrong Site Surgery
Like many other medical errors considered malpractice, incorrect site surgeries often stem primarily from a lack of communication between medical team members. Even something as simple as a misprint on the patient’s medical chart or the assistant failing to mark the correct operation site with a marker or pen can make a surgeon—who may have to perform multiple operations on different patients in quick succession—cause a life-altering mistake.
Regardless of the reason for the incorrect surgery, however, that surgeon is ultimately responsible for what happens inside their operating room and can be held liable whether the harm stemmed from their mistake or somebody else’s. A seasoned attorney in Harrisburg can build a comprehensive civil claim against every liable party who was involved in your wrong site surgery malpractice case.
What Damages Are Available in Harrisburg Wrong Site Surgery Lawsuits?
Money cannot erase the negative effects of your operation, especially if the surgeon amputated a healthy body part or your disease progressed further. What civil litigation can do after surgery to the incorrect area is mitigate financial and personal losses that you can trace to your doctors’ misconduct, including:
- Additional medical care costs for the malpractice surgery
- Short-term work income or long-term working capacity loss
- Disability-related expenses for mobility aids, in-home care, home or vehicle modifications, etc.
- Physical pain and discomfort
- Psychological trauma and suffering
- Decline in overall quality of life
Working closely with capable legal counsel is key to identifying all the compensable damages you should incorporate into your claim to demand a fair amount of recovery.
Contact a Harrisburg Attorney About a Mistaken Surgery Site Negligence Claim
Wrong site surgery is not the most common form of medical malpractice, statistically, but it does happen on a regular basis and can have catastrophic repercussions. If wrong site surgery malpractice in Harrisburg harmed you, taking proactive legal action against the people responsible can make a big difference in what the rest of your life will be like.
The capable and compassionate legal team at Lowenthal & Abrams can effectively enforce your rights under Pennsylvania law. Contact us today to discuss your options.