The hospital did not consider my situation as emergency even when I kept telling them that I am going numb on my lower body. I sat in the hospital emergency center for almost 8 hours in severe pain and they sent me back home and asked me to get MRI done. They have these facilities available but I was told that they do not have a way to do MRI.
The next morning I kept falling as I didn't have sensation in my right leg. I went to my physician again to see what can be done other than pain killers. They asked me to wait for MRI results. Once they had results they asked me to immediately go to emergency and seen by a surgeon. I went again to the local hospital and sat there again for close to 3 hours before I decided to go to another hospital.
During my wait in the first emergency room, me and my wife tried to find out several times regarding getting seen by a surgeon, we did not get any answers even when my physicians office had faxed all the documents. I requested my physician office to find another place where I could be seen. They instructed me to go to the second hospital.
My surgeon was there and he performed the surgery without delay since I was paralyzed on my right leg. He mentioned that there was delay in treatment.
I am still partially paralyzed on my right leg since there was severe damage to my nerves due to the negligence at the first hospital. My disability could be permanent due to the negligence and delay in treatment, do I have any legal rights? Is the first hospital responsible for this injury?
Answer:
You may be able to file a medical malpractice claim against the first hospital for a failure to treat your injury, or a delay in treatment. They may be held liable for any permanent injury you have suffered due to negligent medical treatment.
To find out if yours is a valid medical malpractice case, talk to a medical malpractice lawyer and ask for a free consultation. You should be able to get the answers you need, and find out if you can file a medical malpractice lawsuit against the first hospital for their delay in treatment.
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Posted by Staff Writer on 22 Jan 2010