Deep vein thrombosis is a serious condition that kills too many good people here in Mississippi. It is caused when a blood clot forms in a deep leg vein but also sometimes in the pelvis or in other parts of the lower body. Properly administered tests can detect these clots and allow for treatment. Detecting deep vein thrombosis is important, because if the clot dislodges it will travel through the blood stream to the lungs, where it cut off blood supply—a pulmonary embolism. Pulmonary embolisms are often deadly.
As a personal injury attorney, injured people often meet with me to ask whether they can bring a claim against a doctor, nurse, other medical professional who failed to catch deep vein thrombosis, leading to an injury or death of a loved ones. As a result of these frequent inquiries, I thought it would be useful to describe what makes a deep vein thrombosis case in Mississippi. One thing is critical to state up front—you will need to have experienced personal injury counsel help you attain any settlement from a medical provider. Barrett Law has the experience to help you through this process. Contact us now at (601) 790-1505.
What is Negligence?
Believe it or not, but accidents do happen. There is a difference between something accidentally or unavoidably occurring during a medical procedure and negligence. You cannot recover damages based simply on an unfortunate, unavoidable occurrence, but you may be able to recover a tremendous settlement once negligence is established. But how is medical negligence different from an accident? Negligence means that a health care professional or any other health establishment failed to provide care within the generally accepted standards of care, and the individual was as a result.
What Does the “Standard of Care” Mean?
Simply put, malpractice occurs when the patient’s medical care does not meet current medical standards. This failure may be due to a physician or medical provider not staying current with their training, a failure to adequately supervise or train nurses and other support staff, or poor sanitation within the medical environment.
How Does Standard of Care Affect Deep Vein Thrombosis Cases?
Imagine your leg starts to throb at work. The throbbing does not go away, so you go in to see a physician about it. Imagine that he ignores possible symptoms of deep pain thrombosis, does not perform any tests, and treats you for dehydration-induced cramping. Imagine that two days later the clot in your leg breaks free from the vein it’s blocking and migrates to your lungs, causing a deadly pulmonary embolism. Your family could sue on those facts, claiming that your harm was a direct cause of your physician’s failure to meet the standard of care.
What Should You Do If You Suffer from Deep Vein Thrombosis Due to Malpractice?
If you were injured in the course of receiving medical care, contact an experienced personal injury attorney so that you can focus on yourself and on your healing process. Sadly, I sometimes speak with Mississippi clients whose loved ones have died as a result of medical malpractice. In either case, you may be offered a quick settlement after an accident in exchange for your agreement not to pursue a legal challenge. Do not accept these “low-ball” offers, as tempting as they may be at the time.
Instead, contact an experienced personal injury attorney immediately. Let experienced personal injury counsel take care of preserving medical records, dealing with aggressive opposing counsel, attaining expert diagnoses, and dealing with insurance companies. These are important tasks that an only a personal injury attorney can handle for you. If they are handled poorly by an attorney without numerous personal injury cases under his or her belt, they may be done ineffectively, costing you a tremendous amount of compensation.
Call Barrett Law now, an experienced Mississippi personal injury law firm, to represent you if you have suffered an injury that you believe is due to medical malpractice.
Barrett Law has the experience to take on defense attorneys and insurance companies that are focused on denying your compensation for your injuries. Contact us now at (601) 790-1505.
