Reasons to Sue a Doctor After a Car Accident

When doctors make mistakes, people get hurt.

A car accident is an awful situation, and a good doctor makes an awful situation better. On the flip side, a negligent doctor makes a bad situation much worse. Car crash victims normally recover from their injuries, at least to an extent. But when doctors breach their fiduciary duty, the resulting injuries are usually catastrophic or fatal.

Obtaining compensation for these injuries is one reason a Sarasota personal injury lawyer should sue a doctor after a car accident. These victims need money to stand on their own two feet and not depend on government and charitable handouts for the rest of their lives. Legal action also holds doctors responsible for the mistakes they make. We all make mistakes, and we must all face the consequences of those mistakes. In this context, these consequences include paying fair compensation for serious injuries.

Misdiagnosis

Head injury misdiagnosis may be the most common post-car accident medical mistake. The brain usually conceals its own injuries. Therefore, many car crash victims insist they “feel fine” and decline head injury treatment. Instead of performing necessary tests that the duty of care requires, many doctors take victims at their word and don’t treat their head injuries.

This mistake is inexcusable but somewhat understandable. Initial head injury symptoms, such as disorientation and neck soreness, mimic accident shock, a temporary condition that goes away on its own.

Head injuries do not go away on their own. Instead, they get progressively worse. Each year, traumatic brain injuries kill tens of thousands of people, mostly due to brain bleeding and swelling.

Surgical Mistake

Poor communication often causes surgical mistakes. Frequently, when car accident victims go to emergency rooms, they initially see doctors who assess their conditions. Then, a specialist performs the necessary surgery. If doctor number one does not properly communicate with doctor number two, a common situation in busy emergency rooms, the victim usually pays the price.

Sloppiness causes other surgical mistakes. Many doctors take shortcuts to save time, which is good for them but often terrible for victims. For example, many surgical teams do not perform a simple instrument count to ensure that an instrument is not left inside a victim.

Overconfidence causes other surgical mistakes, especially among anesthesiologists. Many of these doctors perform cursory reviews with a “been there and done that” attitude. As a result, they sometimes are not even present during the surgical procedure and are not immediately available if something goes wrong.

Infection

We mentioned surgical instruments above. Usually, healthcare teams superheat instruments to sterilize them. Too hot, and the instrument could burn the victim. Not hot enough, and dangerous bacteria could linger on the instrument and enter the victim’s body.

Post-procedure infections are also common, mostly because surgical teams let their guard down slightly. Because infections spread so rapidly, any lapse of care or supervision could cause a serious injury.

Incidentally, doctors often blame other professionals, such as nurses or patient care technicians, for infection-related errors. Such finger-pointing may work in some contexts. Legally, however, doctors are ultimately responsible for damages in these situations. They cannot throw other professionals under the bus and avoid facing the music.

Reach Out to a Compassionate Sarasota County Attorney

Doctors make mistakes just like everyone else. For a confidential consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer in Sarasota, contact Carman & Finegan, P.A. The sooner you reach out to us, the sooner we start working for you.