My husband was ill 1 day last year and our local hospital was not sure what was going on with him, but said every moment was critical and medflighted him to a hospital in Boston to be treated. He got there at 10:30pm and they let him sit in the ER until 5 am when they finally took him for a cat scan which took like 1 1/2hr. Then when the am shift was coming on work all the Dr's and nurses were all over him and they took him up for surgery which did not work. He was having a stroke and the swelling of his brain was too much, he died a few days later.
I think the hopsital neglected him all night and if he had received surgery at 11pm he may have been able to be saved.
I am now alone to raise 3 young children and I believe the hospital should have to pay for neglecting him. They were taken more care of patients with colds then they were my husband. Should I pursue with a lawsuit?
2007-05-19 14:01:40 · 4 answers · asked by lindseymomx3 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Medicine
What you're talking about is "loss of chance" in medicolegal jargon. It's very technical and requires expert opinions. It's possible the experts will find that the delay didn't make a substantial difference, or that the difference doesn't qualify for the technical definition of loss of chance, which is not the same as it appears at face value. It's also possible, and even likely, that they were treating minor illnesses like colds precisely because those patients didn't have to have CT scans, and they couldn't get it done more quickly. If you can, I suggest you consult a lawyer, but don't be surprised if early in the discovery process it's found that your case isn't worth pursuing further. My condolences.
2007-05-19 16:01:22 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think you should certainly talk to a lawyer. It certainly sounds as though the hospital in Boston was negligent. If his condition was serious enough that he had to medflighted, then he should certainly have been evaluated promptly. That having been said, when did a physician actually examine him? It may be argued that the physician who examined him may have made a clinical judgement that he did not require immediate intervention. An error or judgement is not the same as negligence.
2007-05-20 00:07:53 · answer #2 · answered by Vinay K 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely.
2007-05-19 21:42:15 · answer #3 · answered by producer_vortex 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
What a ghastly thing - my sympathy goes out to you and your family.
What you have described is too serious to rely on answers from strangers, please seek proper legal advice.
Good luck to you.
2007-05-19 21:07:05 · answer #4 · answered by theothompkin 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋