Emergency Room Errors to Children in Connecticut

One way or another, most of us take a trip to an emergency room with our kids at least once in our lives. My first journey occurred when I was five years old and I swallowed a penny (a story my family still tells at parties). For my brother, it was a playground incident where he sat down the wrong way and got a wood chip stuck in a not-so-pleasant place (he’ll kill me for telling this story, but I don’t care. It’s true, and even he admits it’s hilarious).

Most of us have similar stories buried in the vaults of our childhoods, and a fair share of us probably have some recent encounters with our own children. But unfortunately, some of these stories aren’t cute little anecdotes to laugh over at Christmastime. In some cases, a nick from a kitchen knife or a driving accident can have serious consequences. This is due to the negligence that can occur in emergency rooms. If your emergency room visit resulted in serious injuries to your child, it could be the result of negligence and you could have a legitimate medical malpractice claim against the doctors and nurses you encountered in the emergency room. If you’re trying to determine if your child has a medical malpractice case, read on.

Most emergency room mistakes to children in Connecticut are preventable. However, they oftentimes result from common causes such as the following.

Staffing Issues

Many times there is low staffing in emergency rooms. In addition, the staff that is there is oftentimes stressed, overtired, or inexperienced. Just think of how impatient most people are in the emergency waiting room. This makes a lot of staff members feel the need to rush. And when people rush, mistakes are made.

Equipment and/or Resource Issues

Lack of equipment, lack of space, and lack of resources can all contribute to errors in the emergency room.

Misunderstanding Medical History

You know when you’re sitting in the waiting room and you have to fill out your child’s medical history? Make sure you fill it out completely. If you don’t get a sheet, ask for one. Lack of knowledge about medical history can cause medical errors.

Common ER Errors

Think back to your emergency room visit. The following is a list of some of the most common emergency room errors. If your child experienced one or more of these errors, you could have a medical malpractice case. These common errors include:

• Releasing patients due to lack of insurance.
• Transferring patients for financial reasons.
• Analyzing test results incorrectly.
• Failure to recognize and/or treat symptoms.
• Giving the wrong medicine dosage.
• Misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose.
• Ordering the wrong tests.

Seek Legal Counsel for Child Emergency Room Malpractice Claims in Connecticut

If your child is a victim of an error that occurred in the emergency room, your family deserves compensation. In order to get it, contact a personal injury lawyer, such as myself. I can guide you through this process and give you the information you need on claims involving emergency room errors to children in Connecticut.