Did you know most surgical errors occur during routine surgeries performed by experienced medical professionals? You could check into a Michigan hospital today for a common surgery they’ve done thousands of times before, and a serious surgical mistake could change your life forever.
According to the United States Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, one of every 10 patients who undergo surgery died within 90 days of the medical procedure and died from a preventable error. One-third of these deaths occurred after the patient was discharged when a medical professional was no longer available to monitor their status after their recent surgical procedure.
These surgical errors are happening every day, right here in our state. After a surgical error, contact the skilled and experienced Michigan surgical error lawyers at the Lee Steinberg Law Firm to discuss your legal options. Call 1-800-LEE-FREE today for a free and confidential consultation.
Michigan Surgical Error Lawyers
Surgical errors happen for many reasons. Even if medical professionals are highly educated and very talented, they are still human. Any surgeon or medical team can make a mistake that harms a patient, which is why hospitals carry huge insurance policies.
Some of the most common causes of surgical errors include:
- Poor communication among medical staff
- Improper procedures at the facility
- Misunderstandings about dosages
- Poor preparation for surgery and/or potential complications
- Failure to review patient records
- Medical professional fatigue
- Medical professional drug and alcohol abuse
- Incompetence, inexperience, and shortcuts
Michigan hospitals vary widely in their rankings for safety. Of 80 Michigan hospitals reviewed by the nonprofit organization Hospital Safety Score, 26 got an A grade, 13 got a B, 37 got a C, three got a D and one received an F. These scores are updated periodically, but it’s always unsettling to see how many Michigan hospitals have below-average safety ratings.
When a safety issue leads to patient harm, it can be a costly situation for both the hospital and patient. Hospitals are held accountable for surgical errors through lawsuits that put high dollar values on patients’ injuries, current and future medical bills, and pain and suffering.
Could you handle a mountain of unexpected medical bills due to a surgical error? The average cost of a medical error is more than $130,000 and rising. If you’re like most Americans, you couldn’t take on an unexpected $500 in extra costs per month, let alone thousands.
In addition to the costs of basic medical care, you may need extra emotional support, counseling, in-home equipment and devices, physical therapy, and much more. In order to secure the financial resources you need to truly recover fully from the surgical error, you may have to file a lawsuit and hold the medical doctor and facility responsible for their mistake.
This is exactly when you need the Lee Steinberg Law Firm to assertively stand up for your rights and seek the compensation you deserve. Our injury lawyers are passionate about holding medical providers responsible for surgical errors in Michigan.
Which Types of Surgical Error Cases Do You Handle?
Just as there are many types of surgery, there are many types of surgical errors. The Lee Steinberg Law Firm can assist you with a wide variety of surgical errors. Simply contact us for a consultation and describe the details of your situation. We’ll help you understand your surgical error and your legal options.
A 20-year study of all surgeries in the National Practitioner Data Bank found about 10,000 instances of so-called “never events” that should never happen in a surgical setting. In fact, the study found that these surgical errors are happening about 80 times per week in the U.S.
Here are some of the most common errors that happen during and after surgeries.
- Infections
- Blood clots
- Poorly-sutured and reopened wounds
- Bedsores and pressure ulcers
- Acute respiratory failure
- Hip fractures during post-surgical movement
- Nerve and organ damage
- Anesthesia errors
- Medication errors
- Negligent post-operative care
- Surgical instrument errors
- Misplaced surgical instruments
- Incorrect surgery performed
- Surgery performed on the wrong limb
- Surgery performed on the wrong patient
What if I’m Not Sure Whether I Have Surgical Error?
It’s common to be unsure whether a surgical error happened during your procedure. After all, the medical professional may not want to broadcast that they made a mistake. If you’re not sure what happened, a surgical error attorney can help you get to the bottom of it.
Your lawyer can help you seek a second opinion from a different medical professional who wasn’t involved with your surgery. This additional medical review can be the key to determining what occurred and whether you have a medical malpractice case.
The investigation will begin with a look at the circumstances surrounding your surgery and the medical facility. At the Lee Steinberg Law Firm, we track down medical paperwork, insurance documentation, health provider interviews, new medical opinions, and other crucial information you’ll need to prove your surgical error claim.
Sometimes, the signs of a surgical error can be subtle. Although an infection might be obvious because you have a high fever, it might be hard to tell if there was a surgical error during a kidney operation. You might even be second-guessing yourself about contacting a lawyer to start a surgical error lawsuit.
But remember, an experienced attorney knows how to uncover the truth in these medical mistake situations. This isn’t your fault. Legal action may be required to find out what happened and secure the resources you need to heal from it.
What Kind of Compensation Could I Recover for My Surgical Error Case?
Under Michigan law, you can pursue compensation for not only your current medical bills, but also your future medical bills and the lost income you may be experiencing from being unable to work due to the surgical error.
Damages in Michigan surgical error cases may include:
- Your pain and suffering
- Existing medical bills that arose from the surgical error
- Compensation for future medical expenses you may incur while healing from the injury
- Lost wages and lost earning capacity due to the situation
Who Can Bring a Surgical Error Lawsuit in Michigan?
Anyone in the entire state of Michigan can work with the Lee Steinberg Law Firm to make a surgical error claim against a medical facility. We have offices throughout the state of Michigan because we understand it can be difficult to travel after you have already suffered a life-changing surgical error.
Is There a Time Limit on Filing a Surgical Error Lawsuit?
In Michigan, the statute of limitations to initiate a claim over a surgical error, which generally speaking is considered a medical malpractice claim, is two years from the date of the negligent act or six months from the date it was possible to discover the malpractice.
Don’t wait until months or years after the surgical error to pursue a case against the medical provider, or you may lose your chance to sue. Michigan courts will usually throw out any case that misses the deadline and our judges consider the statute of limitations to be quite strict.
Although it can be difficult to launch a lawsuit within such a short timeframe, we urge you to contact us and let us handle the legal details for you. With the right law firm on your side, your lawsuit can go smoothly and secure the resources you need to recover from a surgical injury. Please contact us at 1-800-LEE-FREE.
Will There Be an Investigation Into the Surgical Error?
Surgical errors are not usually investigated as criminal acts, except in rare cases. More often, these are handled civilly as legal claims against the facility and their insurance carrier.
Your surgical error attorney will start a different type of investigation – not a criminal case, but a civil case. This is where the Lee Steinberg Law Firm steps in to help. We launch an investigation that reveals the details of what happened during and after your surgery, which can shed some light on what took place and which types of mistakes were made.
Are you worried because you no longer trust the doctors involved in your care? We understand that! We seek outside opinions from other doctors, surgeons, and medical experts who can be objective about the situation.
An investigation reveals details and evidence about what happened. It also gives you the ammunition you need to stand up to the medical facility that hurt you. A surgical error is not the patient’s fault. Let’s end the blame game and put the responsibility where it belongs.
When you hire the Lee Steinberg Law Firm, your attorney is on your side, even when it feels as if everyone else is against you. Doctors and hospitals have nowhere to hide when you’re standing up for your rights and using the power of the legal system to shed light on their negligent practices.
Will My Surgical Error Case Go to Court?
Whether or not you actually go to court depends on the situation. If the medical facility refuses to cooperate and disputes the most basic facts of the case, a court battle may be unavoidable. Of course, it doesn’t look great for the other side that they are dragging an injured person to court and prolonging their suffering. This may work in your favor.
Good news: Most of these cases don’t go to trial and aren’t seen by a jury. Surgical error cases often ultimately end with a settlement, which is a financial award that resolves the case quickly without much drama.
Why do hospitals tend to settle? The main reason is bad publicity. They want to avoid seeing the story end up in news stories and on social media, where the public will probably feel more sympathetic toward you than them.
Often, they also don’t want to spend the money it takes to fight one of these cases. They have their own insurance advisors and lawyers who have reviewed the details of the case and saw the details of your injuries. Their own lawyers may be urging them to settle with you and cut you a check.
If the medical provider is ready to settle, you’ll still need an experienced lawyer to negotiate assertively with them and secure the dollar-value settlement you need to pay your bills and prevent your finances from being ruined over this situation. Too often, ordinary people are bullied into low settlements by medical providers and their armies of lawyers. Don’t let this happen to you!
The Lee Steinberg Law Firm will be by your side through the entire process. If you need to appear in court, we’ll help you be fully prepared and provide excellent representation. Or if a settlement is on the table, we’ll give you the very best chance of getting a high figure that supports your ongoing recovery.
Helpful Michigan Surgical Error Resources:
- Michigan Surgical Error Attorneys
- ASK LEE: Request Free Consultation
- Free case evaluation by phone: 1-800-LEE-FREE
Frequently Asked Questions About Michigan Surgical Error Cases
Every surgical error situation is unique. Consult with your lawyer at the Lee Steinberg Law Firm for advice that is specific to your case. Here is some general information about surgical errors in Michigan.
Q: Why are there so many surgical errors?
Surgeries occur in fast-paced medical facilities where a small mistake can become a big deal. If anything goes wrong with the timing, technique, medication, and aftercare for surgery, a patient can suffer significant harm. When a medical provider makes an error, they should take responsibility for it but sometimes you need a lawyer to help you hold them accountable.
Q: Does it matter whether the surgeon meant to harm me?
The surgeon or nurse probably didn’t mean to hurt you. But it doesn’t matter. A medical professional’s good intentions can’t erase what happened to you. A surgical error still impacts your health and your life, and you can still sue.
Q: What kinds of surgical error cases do you most commonly see?
Some of the most common types of surgical error cases involve infections, incorrectly-performed surgeries, and instrument errors like leaving a sponge inside a patient. Negligence in aftercare is also a problem, like allowing surgical wounds to reopen.
Q: How long does a surgical error case take?
A: It’s hard to say how long your case could take, but generally a settlement takes less time than a case that goes to court. It may take some time to gather the medical records and additional medical reviews you may need for your case. To get a better idea of the timeframe, call 1-800-LEE-FREE to talk about your situation in a confidential and free discussion.
Q: My doctor wants me to hold off on starting a lawsuit. Should I wait?
A: Don’t wait, because Michigan offers a short window of time to sue over a surgical error. You must sue within two years of the injury or six months of becoming aware of it. If you already know about your injury, the clock is ticking. It could take months to get an appointment to see a doctor, and you don’t want to lose this precious time.
Important Questions to Ask a Michigan Surgical Error Lawyer
Before you hire a Michigan surgical error lawyer, ask about their background and success rate with these cases. Surgical errors are notoriously difficult to prove without excellent legal representation. Here are some good questions to bring up.
- Do you have the credentials to go up against a big Michigan hospital?
- Are you experienced with my type of surgical error?
- Have you gotten positive results for other clients in the past?
- How will you help me investigate what happened?
- Do you have a good reputation with Michigan judges and courts?
At the Lee Steinberg Law Firm, we have stellar credentials for representing clients in surgical error cases. We understand how difficult your situation is and we care about seeing you recover from a surgical error that wasn’t your fault.
Please contact the Lee Steinberg Law Firm today at 1-800-LEE-FREE to get in touch with a qualified, experienced surgical error attorney nearest to you in Michigan. You will receive an evaluation of your case entirely free of charge.