When you purchase an over-the-counter medication or your doctor prescribes prescription medications, you expect the medication to be safe to use. Sadly, thousands of people die or suffer extreme side effects because of medication errors each year.
What should you do if you sustain an injury because of a medication error in Miami, FL?
You should contact the Miami medication errors lawyer at Lavent Law Personal Injury Lawyer for a free consultation. We have experience handling cases involving medication safety.
How Our Miami Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help if You’ve Been Injured Because of Medication Errors
At Lavent Law Personal Injury Lawyer, we understand medication errors can cause substantial harm to individuals. If you have been injured because of a medication error, we want to help. Our Miami personal injury attorney has considerable experience representing injury victims throughout South Florida.
When you hire our legal team, you can expect us to:
- Conduct a thorough investigation into the medication error to determine how it occurred and who is responsible
- Provide answers to your questions about your claim and your legal rights
- Identify the parties responsible for your injury and gather evidence proving fault and liability
- File all insurance claims and court documents
- Handle all communication with insurance companies and other parties
- Negotiate aggressively for the maximum compensation available for your claim
Most personal injury cases settle out of court. However, our Miami personal injury lawyer is a skilled and aggressive trial lawyer. We are prepared to take your case to court if that is necessary to protect your best interests. Our lawyer was named as one of the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40.
Our Miami personal injury attorney at Lavent Law Personal Injury Lawyer has the resources, skills, and experience necessary to handle complex claims involving preventable adverse drug events. Contact our law firm today to schedule your free consultation with a personal injury lawyer in Miami, Florida.
How Common Are Medication Errors?
Thousands of prescription medications and over-the-counter medications are available in the United States. Unfortunately, medication errors are very common. Approximately 7,000 to 9,000 people die each year from medication errors.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it receives more than 100,000 reports of cases involving suspected medication errors each year. In addition to the deaths caused by medication errors, countless people suffer from side effects and adverse reactions because a medication error occurred.
Overview of Medication Errors
Medication errors can lead to inappropriate use of medications. For a patient or consumer, safe medication is a top concern.
The FDA has an adverse event reporting program, MedWatch, where individuals can report problems with medications. Health care providers must take steps to prevent medication errors.
What Are Common Causes of Medication Errors?
Several circumstances can lead to medication errors and preventable adverse drug events.
Some of those causes include:
- Failure to obtain a patient’s allergy history
- Poor communication between physicians and patients
- Drug names that sound similar or have similar spellings
- Physicians prescribing the incorrect medication or incorrect dosage
- Pharmacy mistakes when filling prescription medications
- Failing to check for drug interactions with a patient’s current medications
- Nurses giving a patient the incorrect dosage or incorrect medication in a hospital or medical facility
- Fatigued and overworked healthcare professionals
Several factors could contribute to a medication error, including the medication practices and computerized processes in the health system.
Common Types of Injuries Caused by Medication Errors
The use of inappropriate medications could lead to severe injuries and death. The types of medications involved in medication errors play a role in the injuries caused by those errors. Each medication has specific side effects and drug interactions.
A patient could suffer life-threatening conditions from taking the wrong drug or the incorrect dosage of the drug.
An individual may experience side effects from the medication that could lead to:
- Brain damage
- Permanent impairments
- Kidney failure
- Liver damage
- Permanent hair loss
- And many other conditions
Medication errors can also cause a patient’s condition to worsen because they do not receive the correct medication to treat their health problem. Some consequences of medication errors can be reversed, but some may not. For some patients, a medication error results in wrongful death.
Who is Liable for Medication Errors?
Physicians, nurses, medical facilities, and pharmacists are a few of the parties who could be liable for damages caused by a medical error.
You must prove that the party owed you a duty of care and breached the duty of care through medical negligence or wrongdoing. That breach must have been a direct result of your injury and damages.
Once you prove the party is liable for the medication error, you are entitled to recover compensation for damages. Damages in a personal injury claim can include medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, permanent impairments, and decreases in quality of life.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Medical Malpractice Attorney in Miami, FL
Proving liability for injuries and harm caused by medication errors can be a complicated process. If you suspect you were harmed because of a medication error, contact our Miami personal injury law firm for a free consultation. A Miami medication errors lawyer will help you understand your rights and options at no cost to you.