An anesthesiologist’s mistake can have catastrophic results for the patient. Some mistakes are even fatal. At Hollander Law Firm Accident Injury Lawyers, we’re dedicated to getting financial compensation for the victims of anesthesia errors in South Florida.
If you were hurt, call a Fort Lauderdale anesthesia injury lawyer at (954) 287-0566 for a free consultation today. You may be entitled to file a medical malpractice lawsuit to recover damages for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more.
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How Can a Fort Lauderdale Medical Malpractice Attorney Help Me Get Compensation For My Anesthesia Injury?
Surgery is a traumatic event. You trust the people in charge of your surgery to provide high-quality care that conforms to medical standards. When the anesthesiologist makes a mistake, the consequences can be devastating for both you and your family.
At Hollander Law Firm Accident Injury Lawyers, our personal injury attorneys in Fort Lauderdale, FL believe in holding negligent anesthesiologists responsible for their mistakes. We know that you have options when it comes to choosing a lawyer. You can also file your lawsuit on your own.
However, it’s important to understand that medical malpractice laws in Florida are notoriously complicated. They’re designed to protect medical professionals, not injured patients. Insurance companies hire teams of defense attorneys to manipulate these laws for their own benefit–even if innocent patients suffer as a result. Our lawyers are here to help you fight back.
Our Fort Lauderdale medical malpractice attorneys have the experience and resources necessary to:
- Thoroughly investigate to pinpoint the exact cause of your anesthesia injury
- Carefully review your medical records
- Hire the medical experts you’ll need to move forward with your malpractice claim
- Work with medical specialists who can testify about both the past and projected future costs of your injuries
- Identify every potentially responsible party, which could include the anesthesiologist, other doctors, nurses, and even the hospital
- Negotiate with tight-fisted insurance companies to get the maximum compensation award possible in your case
Medical malpractice cases involving anesthesia injuries are often settled privately. Anesthesiologists and hospitals don’t want to deal with the negative publicity of a trial. That doesn’t mean it’ll always be easy to get the fair amount you deserve. If you don’t follow the strict letter of the law in filing your complaint, you might walk away with nothing.
Our Fort Lauderdale medical malpractice attorneys have been fighting for injured clients for over 28 years. We understand the system and the laws–and we know exactly the manipulative tactics insurance companies sometimes use. Don’t settle for less. Give our law offices a call to learn how we can help you get the full compensation you deserve.
Holding Florida Medical Professionals Accountable Under Medical Malpractice Laws
Not every anesthesia mistake is malpractice. The medical community has developed established standards of care that are designed to ensure patients receive the competent medical treatment they deserve.
Specific medical standards apply to anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists who receive specialized training to perform their roles. When your health care provider deviates from the standard of care, they can be held liable for malpractice if you’re hurt as a result.
It’s necessary to prove four basic things in every medical malpractice lawsuit. You have to establish:
- A duty of care existed
- The medical standard of care that applies
- There was a breach of that standard (a mistake)
- The mistake caused your damages
Our lawyers know how to build these types of cases. We’ll work to get the proof needed to back up your claims. Just give us a call today so that we can talk about what happened.
Leading Examples of Anesthesia Errors That Harm Patients
The risks involved in using general anesthesia are relatively minor. A competent anesthesiologist can administer the anesthesia and monitor the patient safely through surgery. Unfortunately, mistakes do happen.
Anesthesiologists are sometimes overworked. Tasks are delegated to nurse anesthetists, who must also be properly trained for their role.
Some common examples of anesthesia errors that can harm patients include:
- Administering the wrong dose of anesthesia
- Administering the wrong types of anesthesia for the patient
- Failure to monitor the patient
- Errors in intubating the patient
- Failing to take the patient’s history into account
- Failing to check for allergies or drug interactions
- Incorrect placement of the anesthesia
The anesthesiologist and nurse anesthetist are charged with monitoring the patient’s vitals throughout the surgery. Surgeons and nurses are also responsible for providing proper post-operative monitoring and instruction.
A mistake can cause serious anesthesia errors that can devastate a patient’s life. It might be hard to know the exact error that caused your injuries. An experienced medical malpractice lawyer can help you uncover the error so that you can hold all responsible parties accountable.
Injuries Caused by Anesthesia Errors
Thousands of anesthesia errors are reported across the U.S. each year. While the fatality rate remains relatively low, these errors can still cause serious injuries, including brain injury.
A serious anesthesia error can cause:
- Brain damage
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Organ failure
- Nerve damage
- Internal bleeding
- Coma
- Spinal cord damage
- Catastrophic injuries
- Wrongful death of a loved one
Anesthesiologists, nurses, and surgeons will have to quickly catch and treat an anesthesia injury before it’s too late. If you weren’t properly monitored, your anesthesia injuries may be much more severe than they should be. You might even be facing life-altering consequences.
At Hollander Law Firm Accident Injury Lawyers, we’ll fight to get full compensation for all of your injuries. Reach out to our legal team today to learn more about how we can help in your unique case.
Anesthesia Awareness
One of the most serious errors an anesthesiologist can make involves administering too little anesthesia. Because anesthesia is meant to keep a patient unconscious and pain-free during surgery, this error can be horrifying for the patient. Anesthesia awareness happens when a patient wakes upon a table during surgery.
Usually, anesthesia awareness happens because the patient receives too little anesthesia or the wrong type.
Victims might begin to feel the pain of the surgery. They might also begin to panic and feel like they can’t breathe. The psychological impact of anesthesia awareness can last a lifetime.
As a victim, you’re entitled to compensation for both the economic costs of your injuries and the emotional toll of the experience. Our lawyers will listen closely to your story so that we can make the strongest claim for compensation if you were a victim of anesthesia awareness.
Florida Statute of Limitations in Anesthesia Injury Cases
Serious anesthesia errors are often caused by medical malpractice. You only have a limited time to file a lawsuit that’s based on medical negligence. The state of Florida gives you two years to sue for damages.
Usually, the statute of limitations starts running on the day you get hurt. Medical malpractice cases are slightly different. The patient doesn’t always know what happened to hurt them. Because of this, the law gives you two years from the date you reasonably should have identified the cause of your injuries.
That’s true–with the caveat that you only have four years in total to file a medical malpractice lawsuit. That four-year clock starts running on the day the surgery happened. In reality, Florida law is saying that you should reasonably have discovered the anesthesia error within four years of the date the damage occurred.
What Types of Compensation Can I Recover for an Anesthesia Injury in Fort Lauderdale, FL?
Anesthesia injury victims are entitled to full compensation for their losses. That includes past and future expenses, as well as money to make up for the emotional trauma of the injury and experience. Our lawyers at Hollander Law Firm Accident Injury Lawyers can help you get money for:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Future medical bills
- Lost future earning capacity
- Physical therapy
- Disability
- Long-term care
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Anxiety and PTSD
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Damages for wrongful death
You trusted your medical team to take care of you during your surgery or procedure. You deserve to hold them financially accountable when they commit medical errors and violate your trust.
It can also be incredibly frustrating to feel like the insurance company is offering you less than you need. You have to provide evidence and proof to get the insurance company to play fair. Insurance companies recognize Hollander Law Firm Accident Injury Lawyers and our decades-long track record of success. With us in your corner, the insurance company is much more likely to take your case seriously.
We build every surgical error case from scratch. We’ll work with experts to devise a custom strategy designed to maximize your financial recovery. Just give us a call today to explore your options.
Call Today for a Free Consultation With a Respected Fort Lauderdale Medical Malpractice Attorney
The at-fault party should be held fully accountable for both the physical and emotional impact of your anesthesia injury. If you or a loved one were hurt because of an anesthesia error, call an experienced Fort Lauderdale anesthesia injury lawyer for help today. At Hollander Law Firm Accident Injury Lawyers, we’re always ready to take your call. Contact our Fort Lauderdale law firm today by filling out an online contact form.
We handle medical malpractice claims for clients harmed during surgical procedures in Fort Lauderdale, Miami Beach, West Palm Beach, and Boca Raton.
