It is a terrifying reality that mistakes happen in the operating room. An exhausted or inattentive nurse or doctor can make an inaccurate incision, nick an organ, operate on the wrong body part (or even the wrong patient), or leave a foreign object inside a patient. All of these doctor errors can cause significant harm to a patient. He or she may be left with a worsened medical condition that causes severe pain and suffering. In the worst cases, these instances are fatal.
A trial recently began, centered on one of these tragic fatal accidents. According to the claim, a 58-year-old woman went under the knife for an extensive 17-hour long surgery. However, when the operation was completed, a surgical sponge was left inside of her. Doctors present at the time were assured sponge counts were accurate, but they failed to timely look at an X-ray that showed a sponge was still in the woman’s abdomen. Doctors tried twice to retrieve the sponge, but were unsuccessful. The lawsuit claims that complications caused by the sponge’s retention eventually led to the woman’s death. The defense agrees that the sponge was wrongly left inside the patient, but denies that it caused her death.
Wrongful death lawsuits like this one can be long and emotionally draining. A deceased individual’s surviving family members may find it difficult to cope with their emotional loss at a time when their finances are strained by lost income and lingering medical expenses. However, by obtaining strong legal help, these individuals may be able to relieve some of their stress.
A Eugene, Oregon attorney can help families fight for what they deserve. Evidence can be gathered and presented, expert witnesses found and questioned, and laws analyzed and applied in an effort to support a family’s claim. Whether through settlement negotiations or trial, an attorney will aggressively fight for a family, hopefully recovering compensation for medical expenses, funeral costs, lost wages, and other damages.
Source: Dayton Daily News, “Sponge left in woman’s body leads to medical malpractice suit,” Mark Gokavi, July 14, 2014