When a woman enters a hospital in order to give birth to a child, she has the right to reasonably assume that those assisting in the birth will conduct themselves according to the highest levels of professionalism and safety standards. In Florida and elsewhere, if medical malpractice becomes an issue due to negligence on the part of medical staff members, the patient involved may choose to file a legal claim in a civil court. Such was the case after a recent incident where a family is blaming the death of their loved one on hospital negligence.
The woman, who is now deceased, gave birth to a baby boy in 2013. Her family has alleged that the hospital’s failure to notice signs of preeclampsia led to her death. This condition typically arises mid-way through a normal pregnancy, with common symptoms being a sudden case of extremely high blood pressure and damage to kidneys or other internal organs. The woman had reported her symptoms several times to doctors and had test results that showed the signs of preeclampsia.
Sadly, nothing was done to address the matter, and she suffered cerebral hemorrhage that was not noticed by staff until she had been unresponsive for10 hours after an emergency C-section was performed. Reports indicate that the Massachusetts hospital in question has been accused of several serious and/or fatal errors in recent times. The Department of Public Health has now launched an investigation in order to research the disturbing trend at the facility.
It might comfort Florida medical patients to know that if they experience injury or illness as a result of hospital negligence, they have recourse under the law with the right to file a legal claim against any and all parties deemed responsible in the matter. In a successfully litigated medical malpractice case, compensation may be awarded that can be used to help pay medical bills, replace lost wages and absorb some of the cost of any ongoing, needed medical care in the incident. A first logical step to take in the process would be to contact an experienced attorney in the area.
Source: injurylawyer-news.com, “Massachusetts Hospital Faces Delivery Room Errors Lawsuit“, Dawn Snyder, Sept. 3, 2015
