Prescription drugs have revolutionized medicine. In some instances, a single pill can reduce or eliminate symptoms while others might even completely eradicate an individual’s illness. But prescribing and administering these medications is a science, requiring care and precision. A seemingly minor mistake in either of these areas can be tragic, and might leave an individual dead.
In fact, one man’s family recently filed a lawsuit against a medical clinic and the Department of Veterans Affairs after the man was killed due to an alleged medication error. The Navy veteran had gone to the hospital for treatment of arthritis-related back pain and was subsequently prescribed the pain killer Oxycodone. However, though the man’s doctor meant to prescribe 15 milligrams of the drug to be administered every four hours, an error caused the victim to receive 50 milligrams every four hours. The lawsuit claims this mistake, which should have been caught on several occasions, led to the man’s death.
A fatal accident like this one can tear a family apart. They might be left wondering how this could happen, why the proper precautions were not taken, and where to go from here. One step that might help surviving family members during such a difficult time is filing a wrongful death lawsuit.
If a loved one is killed due to a medical mistake, compensation may be recoverable through one of these lawsuits. An Oregon attorney can help a family bring their claim and can seek to settle the matter before it goes to trial. In the event the case does go to trial, an attorney will aggressively fight to show a doctor error caused the victim’s death, resulting in financial and nonfinancial harm to the victim’s surviving family members. In either case, if successful and compensation is received, a victim’s surviving family may be left with the money it needs to cover medical and funeral expenses, recoup lost wages, and ease their pain and suffering.
Source: South Bend Tribune, “Family blames death on drug script error,” Madeline Buckley, May 9, 2014