A new study just released by Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Martin Makary and Michael Daniel in the British Medical Journal that states 251,454 people died per year as a result of medical errors.
If 251,454 people died each year in plane crashes in the United States, all airports would be closed. This is a shocking statistic because believe you me; it represents only the REPORTED cases. In my considered opinion, the true number is in excess of half a million.
The question is what can we do to reduce the staggering number of medical errors that result in death?
Unfortunately, hospitals do not police their own employees because, at the end of the day, they are profit centers and only concerned about the “bottom line”.
Believe it or not, medical institutions look at payments and wrongful death claims as the cost of doing business.
The best way to correct this grotesque problem in our healthcare system is to pursue medical malpractice claims. In addition to getting my clients compensation so that they may live as normal a life as possible, I hold those responsible who expose us to unnecessary harm and danger.
And by doing so, we actually change the way medical healthcare providers conduct themselves.
A few years ago I represented the mother of a one year old boy who died as a result of a nurse’s negligence.
While she was administering a routine shot she pressed the boy’s body against hers. During this time the mother expressed a concern that she felt her son was having difficult time breathing.
The nurse told her mother that she was a professional and knew what she was doing, and if the mother continued to object she’d be asked to leave the exam room. Tragically, the nurse suffocated the little boy. The nurse handed back to the mother a dead child.
The key component of our settlement was that all of the nurses at this institution would receive continued education in administering shots, and the mother of this dead boy would participate in these seminars to emphasize just how important it is to get it right.
If you suspect that you or a loved one are a victim of a medical malpractice and/or birth injury, NEVER, EVER believe a healthcare professional when they tell you the tragedy that befell your loved one could not have been avoided. If you ever hear that phrase uttered, call me immediately.
You need to call me as soon as you suspect there is a problem because there is only a one-year statute of limitation in medical malpractice claims. However, in birth injury claims, the one-year statute begins to run on the child’s 18th birthday which, in essence, means you have until the child is 19 to pursue a claim.
As your Cleveland, Ohio medical malpractice attorney, I will fight for you. I’ll be there for you, and I’ll Make Them Pay! ®
Author: Tim Misny | For over four decades, personal injury lawyer Tim Misny has represented the injured victim in in birth injury, medical malpractice, and catastrophic injury/wrongful death cases, serving “Cleveland, Akron/Canton, Columbus, Dayton and neighboring communities.” You can reach Tim by email at misnylaw.com/ask-tim-a-question/ or call at 1 (800) 556-4769.
