Any trip to an emergency room can be anxiety filled. Patients come to the ER in need of immediate diagnosis and treatment. Often times, patients present to emergency rooms with life threatening illnesses and injuries. Unfortunately, many emergency rooms in the lowcountry are overcrowded and medical teams are spread thin.

 

When a patient comes to an emergency room, the first step in receiving proper treatment is to properly triage the patient. This is unfortunately, the first opportunity for emergency room errors to arise. Patients must be quickly evaluated, both for the cause of their illness or injury, but also to determine the  kind of tests they may need. If mistakes are made in determining the severity of the patient’s condition, the proper treatment can be delayed, sometimes making the situation worse.

 

Emergency room errors also arise when doctors fail to order the correct tests, such as an x-ray, MRI, CT-Scan, or necessary blood tests. When a patient requires testing and the emergency room staff fails to provide it, proper treatment can be delayed, causing further injury or death to the patient.

 

The Charleston medical malpractice lawyers at the Waggoner Law Firm are familiar with a variety of errors that emergency room staff can make, including:

 

Misdiagnosing patients

Failing to order appropriate tests

Administering the wrong medication

Failing to notice medical bracelets or other allergy alerts

Neglecting patients who need immediate care

Failing to request proper consultation from another specialty 

 

Not all birth injuries result from carelessness. But when a doctor or other health

care professional ignores or forgets the accepted standards of his/her profession, 

the consequences to the new-born child can be devastating and are usually permanent. 

 

A recent study showed that 6 out of every 1,000 babies born in the United States will suffer a birth injury. These injuries include minor cuts or bruises during the birthing process, but in the most severe cases, complications and medical mistakes can cause:

 

Cerebral Palsy

Erb's Palsy

Facial Paralysis

Fractures

Spinal Cord Damage

Brain Injury

 

There are several medical errors that can lead to birth injuries including: 

 

Failure to choose an appropriate delivery method

Failure to diagnose preeclampsia

Failure to administer appropriate medications to mother and child 

Use of non-sterilized instruments

Failure to promptly treat infections 

Incorrect use of vacuum or forceps 

Failure to timely effectuate a C-Section 

 

 

If you have questions concerning injuries to a child that were sustained during the birth-process, or immediately thereafter, the lawyers at the Waggoner Law firm can help you to analyze the facts, and help you determine the rights of you and your child. 

 

Medical malpractice is always an unfortunate event;  however, when that malpractice results in the death of a patient, the financial and emotional loss experienced by the patient’s family can be overwhelming. 

 

When patients die as a result of a doctor or other medical professional’s negligence, there are two claims allowed by law. First, the family may be able to hold the doctor or hospital responsible for wrongful death. This means that the patient’s family can bring a claim for the loss of their family member’s income and their companionship. If the patient experienced pain and suffering as a result of a doctor’s negligence before her death, the patient’s estate may also be able to sue for a survival action. This suit means that the patient  will be compensated for the medical bills incurred, and the pain and  suffering that  was experienced before death while he or she was alive. 

 

The Charleston medical malpractice lawyers of the Waggoner Law Firm are committed to helping families that have experienced the loss of a loved one. Families face serious financial problems due to medical expenses and the loss of their loved one's income. While a lawsuit will not be able to correct the doctor’s mistake, or reduce a family’s grief, a lawsuit may be able to compensate for the financial burden and their loss of companionship.

 

Under South Carolina law, wrongful death suits can be filed by the immediate family members of the deceased: parents, spouses, and children. It is important to contact a wrongful death attorney as soon as possible to protect your rights. 

 

If you think you negligent treatment by a doctor or other healthcare professional, caused the death of a loved one, contact the Charleston wrongful death attorneys at the Waggoner Law Firm. We have the experience to help evaluate the facts, and the law, and advise you on how to obtain the compensation allowed.  

 

Surgery is an inherently dangerous activity. Whenever a patient is operated on, there is a chance that something could go wrong. That is why the medical profession has created standards, which if followed, greatly reduce the likelihood of mistakes or bad judgment. However, when these guidelines are violated, the patient suffers the consequences. This may include, pain, suffering, disability, and even death.

 

The lawyers at the Waggoner Law Firm investigate cases involving surgical errors and, when the errors have caused serious injury, pursue claims on behalf of the clients who have suffered as a result. When we pursue a claim or file a lawsuit against a doctor or hospital, we do so because the law requires that medical providers follow the standards of their profession. If you or your loved one has been injured by negligent or reckless surgical staff, you deserve an attorney who will work to find answers and fair compensation. 

 

Surgical errors are made not just by doctors, but also by other medical professionals, such as nurses, surgical technicians, and even the hospital where they are employed.

 

Our Charleston personal injury lawyers are prepared to represent clients who have been the victims of a variety of surgical errors, including:

 

Wrong Site Surgery

Improper Surgical Technique 

Surgery Site Contamination 

Mesh Infections

Mishandling Surgical Instruments

Foreign Objects in Body

Surgery on Wrong Patient

Post-Surgical Complications

 

To have the grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit, a patient must prove that a surgeon or his or her assistants committed a mistake, which no other average competent doctor would have made, if given the same situation. However, not all mistakes are lawsuits. To be compensated for the mistake made by a doctor, his staff, or a hospital, the patient must prove that the negligence has caused a significant harm. If a medical malpractice lawsuit is successful, the law may allow the injured patient or his family to receive compensation for resulting medical expenses, missed wages, and pain and suffering. However, winning a suit is not easy. 

 

Our experienced attorneys will help you understand the lengthy legal process, gather the evidence you will need to build your case, and, if necessary, fight for your rights in court.

 

If you or a loved one has been the victim of negligent medical treatment, contact the Charleston medical malpractice lawyers of the Waggoner Law Firm at (843)972-0426.

 

Errors in prescriptions medications occur more often than you might think. As with failures in properly diagnosing a patient, or failing to administer the proper treatment, pharmaceutical errors can leave patients with death or disability. 

 

The lawyers at the Waggoner Law Firm are prepared to investigate claims involving a variety of errors, including:

 

Drug Side Effects

Incorrect Labeling

Incorrect Dosage

Improperly Written Prescriptions 

Incorrect Prescription

Drug Interactions/Complications

 

If a patient receives the wrong drug, or even the correct drug in the wrong dosage, the results can be very serious. Victims of these mistakes have suffered from new disabilities or health complications such as blindness. Sometimes patients who have been the victims of a pharmaceutical error have required long term hospitalizations or died, leaving their families with tremendous emotional and financial complications. 

 

If you believe that you or a loved one has been the victim of a pharmaceutical error, contact the Waggoner Law Firm by calling (843) 972-0426.

 

Hospital errors can unfortunately occur at any stage in a patient’s stay. One area where many patients are the victims of doctor or hospital staff error is in the area of post operative infection or sepsis. Post-operative infection is a broad term which applies to several types of infections a patient can experience as a consequence of undergoing surgery. These infections can be caused by several sources including: 

 

Failure to sterilize surgical site

Failure to administer pre-operative antibiotics

Failure to use sterile instruments during surgery

 

Despite efforts by hospitals and the government to decrease hospital post-operative infections, a 2010 study found that hospitals continue to see an increase in post-operative blood stream infections and catheter-associated urinary tract infections.

 

One type of post-operative infection is known as Sepsis or Septic Shock. Sepsis is a potentially deadly condition where an infection overwhelms a patient’s immune system. While there is no specific blood test, MRI, or similar test that can be performed to diagnose the patient with sepsis, there are several signs and symptoms of the infection which must be identified quickly, if the patient is to recover. Sepsis occurs in hospitals, often due to infection stemming from the hospital setting itself, or from a surgical error, such as a perforated colon. Patients in a hospital setting are exposed to a wide variety of infections, and improper hospital procedures regarding sterilization and patient monitoring can lead to infection. It is critical that doctors and hospital staff utilize proper hygiene and monitor their patients to both prevent and treat sepsis before it overwhelms the patient’s immune system. 

 

Signs of sepsis include:

Fever

Rapid heart rate, also known as tachycardia

Shallow breathing

Increased respiratory rate, also known as tachypnea

Increased white blood cell count

Altered mental status 

Low blood pressure 

 

If these signs and symptoms of sepsis are ignored, the patient’s chances of a full recovery diminish. Patients who experience sepsis have lengthened hospital stays, which increases their medical bills and time away from work. Some cases of sepsis result in the loss of a limb or the patient’s life.

 

The Charleston medical malpractice attorneys at the Waggoner Law Firm have experience with patients who have suffered from post-operative infections including sepsis. Contact us today if you or your loved one has been the victim of these preventable and treatable infections. 

 

When a patient experiences a medical illness or injury, he is often overwhelmed with the information their doctor gives them. When deciding whether a particular course of medical treatment is in your best interest, you rely upon information given to you by your doctor to help you make the correct decision. It is very important that a doctor include information such as the nature of the treatment, the risks and benefits, and alternatives to treatment. Sometimes physicians speak to their patients as they might to other medical professionals. However, it the doctor’s responsibility to communicate all of the necessary information to her patients in a way that he or she reasonably understands.

 

That information allows you to offer what is known as “informed consent”. A healthcare professional must have the “informed consent” of his patient before any procedure or invasive  invasive medical treatment. The only exception to this rule is when a patient requires emergency life-saving treatment and they are incapable of providing informed consent due to their illness or injury, and their doctor must act to save their life.

 

Informed consent is a difficult issue for patients and their attorneys because the elements of the case depend heavily upon facts that may not be accurately or completely  documented in a patient’s medical record.

 

If you think you may have undergone a medical procedure which you would have refused if you had fully understood it or the risks involved with it, or the alternatives to it, the lawyers at the Waggoner Law Firm can help you to determine whether you may have a case. Contact us today at (843) 972-0426. 

 

Many patients find it difficult to question their doctors’ judgment. After all, medical professionals have completed years of education and training. Patients rely upon that training when they put their health and  lives in their doctor’s hands. But doctors, and hospitals, like everyone else, can make mistakes, and sometimes do make mistakes. Those mistakes can include improper treatment.

 

Clients often ask us how improper treatment is different from other forms of medical malpractice such as delayed diagnosis or the wrong diagnosis. Improper treatment means that while a doctor has correctly and timely diagnosed his or her  patient, he or she may make undertake the wrong treatment, Types of improper treatment include:

 

Giving the wrong dose of a drug

Prescribing a drug to which the patient has a known allergy

Delaying or rushing surgery 

Failing to take necessary measures to prevent disease, such as administering antibiotics before surgery

 

The consequences of improper treatment can include pain, disability, high medical bills, and even death.

 

If you believe that you or a loved one, has been seriously injured by  a physician’s improper treatment, contact the Waggoner Law Firm.  We will help you gather the information, and conduct the research to advise you whether malpractice has occurred, and by whom. And if there has been malpractice, we will pursue your claim and pursue the remedies which the law allows for you and your family. 

When a patient experiences a medical problem, whether from disease or injury, it is important that it be understood and appropriately treated as soon as possible. Some illnesses can progress very quickly, and the patient’s condition may worsen  if their physician has not undertaken the accepted treatment in a timely fashion. Once the condition is known, it is the duty of medical personnel to provide their patients with the care they need in a timely, efficient manner.

 

Delays in diagnosis can have serious consequences. A patient who complains of  cold or flu like symptoms, for example, but who is actually suffering from pneumonia, may have a much longer stay in a hospital, with very high medical bills, if his doctor does not administer proper tests. A patient who has a perforated colon, or other type of injury after surgery which could lead to infection, may die or suffer severe consequences if the physician delays in considering and understanding the problem.  

 

There are many factors which can lead to a delayed diagnosis. Among these are understaffed or overworked medical facilities – often emergency rooms; a failure to consult with a physician from another specialty; a hurried or incomplete interpretation of an x-ray or lab study, and so forth. 

 

None of these failings provide a legitimate reason for careless diagnosis or treatment, and providers who can not meet their duty to conform to the standards of their training and profession are responsible for any consequences of their failure to do so. 

 

Any disease, illness, or injury can be overlooked or wrongly diagnosed, but some medical conditions are more often the subject of medical malpractice lawsuits than others. This is mainly because the consequences of these errors in diagnosis disorders in time can be more severe than failure to treat other problems. Among those conditions whose careless delay in diagnosis can result in the most serious

consequences are cancer, vascular disorders, mental illness, and fetal distress.

 

If you have been a victim of a failure to diagnose or a wrong diagnosis, the experienced lawyers at the Waggoner Law Firm can help you investigate. If there has been medical negligence, we will present and pursue the claim through court, if necessary, to ensure you are compensated as the law allows. 

Whenever a patient presents himself to a physician, it is important that the doctor work toward an accurate diagnosis. If a doctor misses this critical first step in the process,  the complications for the patient can be horrible. Unfortunately, on occasion, a doctor will fail to properly or thoroughly examine a patient, or neglect to ask the right questions, or conduct the appropriate tests. 

 

While there may be many factors that contribute to a misdiagnosis, if it results from carelessness, in the eyes of the law, it is inexcusable. 

 

When a particular illness is in the news, H1N1 (otherwise known as the swine flu) for example, doctors may have this disease at the front of their mind. When a patient presents to an emergency room with symptoms that match this disease, a physician may ignore or downplay other significant signs or symptoms. 

 

Unfortunately, some bad habits of patients, such as smoking, or overeating, may lead a physician to assume that the patient’s symptoms are the patient’s fault, rather than a disease or virus or other serious but unrelated condition. 

 

The rule of hammers says that when the only tool you have is a hammer, all of your problems appear to be nails. But what happens when a problem is not a nail, but a screw? This thought process sometimes contributes to a missed diagnosis case. When a doctor is trained in one speciality, he or she may look first to those organs and systems involved in that specialty.  For example, a cardiologist may ignore or downplay the obvious signs and symptoms of a metabolic disorder, like  hyperthyroidism, because those symptoms can also suggest heart disease. 

 

If you have been a victim of a failure to diagnose or a wrong diagnosis, the experienced lawyers at the Waggoner Law Firm can help you investigate. If there has been medical negligence, we will present and pursue the claim through court, if necessary, to ensure you are compensated as the law allows.