It is only natural for people to rush to an emergency facility when they experience medical emergencies. However, many people are disillusioned by the level of care they receive, and it is not uncommon for medical malpractice lawsuits to follow such incidents. A Pennsylvania couple recently filed such a suit against a neurologist, a doctor on duty and a medical center.
The claim followed an incident in February when a man suffered stroke-like symptoms while driving. The couple hurried to the emergency room of a nearby medical center. They claim that the doctor on duty failed to conduct a proper examination. They allege that even though the 10-minute examination included a stroke scale test that the doctor reported that he found no abnormalities, although stroke-like symptoms were present.
The doctor contacted the neurologist who was on-call at the time; however, the neurologist allegedly prescribed a painkiller and sent the patient home without seeing him. The man’s condition apparently deteriorated rapidly, and his wife took him back to the emergency room later that day. The claim states that this time a carotid scan revealed an artery blockage of 90 percent. The plaintiffs accuse the defendants of medical negligence by failure to diagnose and delaying treatment upon their initial visit to the facility.
The couple’s claim states that the alleged negligence caused a lack of coordination and agility in his left limbs, along with a facial droop. An amount exceeding $50,000 is sought for damages that were caused by the conduct of the medical personnel. Pennsylvania residents who believe that their medical conditions were caused by the negligence of medical caregivers retain the right to file medical malpractice claims in a civil court. Successful presentation of properly documented evidence of negligence may result in monetary compensation to cover damages related to the incident.
Source: pennrecord.com, “Hospital sued after allegedly failing to properly diagnose stroke victim“, Jim Boyle, Dec. 10, 2014