You never imagined that a routine medical procedure could leave you with life-changing injuries that prevent you from working, caring for your family, or enjoying basic daily activities. Unfortunately, while you trusted health care providers to help you get better, it’s possible that their wrongdoing may have caused devastating harm instead.
If you've suffered a catastrophic injury during medical treatment in Plano, Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth, or anywhere in Texas, our skilled medical malpractice lawyers at Dortch Lindstrom Livingston Law Group know exactly what kind of answers you need and what’s necessary to potentially pursue compensation. Let’s examine the signs of medical malpractice and your options for recourse.
Top 5 Warning Signs of Medical Malpractice
While not every poor outcome indicates malpractice, certain red flags should prompt a closer look at your care. Here are five key indications that your catastrophic injury may have resulted from medical negligence.
1. Questionable Medical Documentation
Medical records that contain inconsistencies or missing information often indicate an attempt to cover up mistakes. Your health care providers may have failed to document important details about your treatment, vital signs, or medication administration.
2. Conflicting Explanations From Your Medical Team
Muddled details about what happened during your care can point to negligence. If different members of your medical team give contradicting accounts of events or seem hesitant to provide clear answers, they may be trying to avoid liability.
3. Deviations From Standard Medical Protocols
Learning that your provider deviated from the accepted standard of care is a clear warning sign of malpractice. At Dortch Lindstrom Livingston Law Group, we consult medical experts to review your case and determine if your treatment met established guidelines for your condition.
4. Sudden Deterioration After Treatment
A dramatic decline in your condition following a procedure or treatment suggests errors occurred. While some complications are known risks, an unexpected and severe deterioration might mean proper protocols weren't followed.
5. Rushed or Inadequate Discharge Process
Being rushed through discharge without adequate instructions or follow-up care plans also raises red flags. Health care facilities sometimes try to minimize their exposure by quickly releasing patients who experienced adverse events.
Types of Catastrophic Injuries in Medical Malpractice Cases
When medical care goes wrong, the detrimental outcome can impact every aspect of your life. Here’s just a small example of the most severe cases our Plano catastrophic injury lawyers handle:
- Severe birth injuries. Failure to recognize fetal distress or properly manage delivery complications can result in cerebral palsy, brain damage, or other permanent birth injuries that affect both mother and child.
- Serious brain damage. Surgical errors, anesthesia mistakes, and failure to monitor vital signs can lead to traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). This damage often results in cognitive impairment, personality changes, and loss of basic functions.
- Spinal cord trauma. Mistakes during back surgery or delayed diagnosis of emergency conditions can cause partial or complete paralysis. Many victims require costly lifelong medical care and assistive devices.
- Loss of limbs. Untreated infections and missed circulatory problems sometimes lead to necessary amputations. Our responsibility would be to prove that proper medical care could have prevented many of these cases through early intervention.
- Organ system failure. Surgical errors and medication mistakes frequently cause considerable damage to vital organs. These injuries frequently require ongoing treatment such as dialysis or transplants.
Building a Strong Medical Malpractice Case in Texas
With more than 60 years of combined experience with state and federal cases, the catastrophic injury attorneys at Dortch Lindstrom Livingston Law Group understand how vital it is to prove negligence with a strategic approach that combines sharp legal expertise and extensive medical knowledge. Here's how our skilled Texas medical malpractice legal team establishes the grounds of your case:
- Prompt filing. Technically, the statute of limitations deadline in these types of cases doesn’t begin until the injury is discovered. However, because medical malpractice claims are often detailed and complex, we make sure to file your case right away.
- Thorough records analysis. Our legal team carefully reviews all medical documentation to identify errors, inconsistencies, and evidence of negligence. This includes examining test results, nursing notes, and communication between providers.
- Expert medical review. As mentioned, we rely on qualified medical specialists to evaluate your case and determine if your care met accepted standards. Their testimony helps establish where and how your providers failed to deliver appropriate treatment.
- Strategic investigation. Our lawyers take sworn testimony from health care providers and collect evidence through depositions. This process often reveals crucial details about what went wrong during your care.
- Comprehensive damages assessment. We calculate all current and future losses, including medical expenses, lost income, reduced earning capacity, and compensation for pain and suffering. Ongoing care for TBIs and spinal injuries can be especially expensive, so we don’t want anything left on the table.
- Causation evidence. We also show a clear connection between the provider's negligence and your catastrophic injuries, proving how proper medical care would have prevented your damages.
It’s natural to feel overwhelmed at the prospect of filing a lawsuit while dealing with major health care issues. But you deserve justice, and as our past clients can attest, our goal is to put you and your family at ease to focus on recovery while we handle all the details of your case.
