New York City Pays Out $135 Million For Hospital Medical Mistakes

Every day, individuals put their lives into the hands of healthcare practitioners in hospitals across the country. Injuries, illnesses, and accidents drive thousands through the doors every minute, often to seek life-saving care. In most cases, those individuals receive satisfactory treatment. Unfortunately for many patients, however, there are also a large number of incidences of doctor negligence.

According to the New York Times, for the year of 2011, the city paid $135 million for hospital negligence in New York City, which was five percent more than they paid in 2010. Unreasonable waiting times, doctor negligence, and incorrect use of medical technology caused many people to suffer debilitating effects, with some incidences ending in tragic deaths.

If you or a loved one have suffered health problems because of mistakes made in area hospitals, you may be eligible for compensation by filing New York medical malpractice lawsuits. A lawyer at The Sanders Firm has the experience to help you evaluate your case and assess your eligibility.

Hospital negligence in New York may go unreported

It’s hard to imagine that so many mistakes could be made in hospitals every year, but the fact is that these things happen, and when they do, patients deserve justice. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, hospitals themselves are unlikely to report their blunders. A 2012 study showed that treatment errors and other mistakes made in the provision of health care to Medicare patients are reported by hospitals in only 14 percent of the cases.

For patients who end up in the hospital, it seems errors made during surgery are the most common type of mistake, accounting for 34 percent of medical malpractice claims. Common surgical mistakes include operating on the wrong body part or organ, using unsanitary instruments that cause infection, and damaging neighboring tissues, organs, and nerves.

NY medical malpractice lawsuits pay out millions

When patients stand up for their rights, juries often award them multi-million dollar verdicts. A Bronx woman who went to a hospital for a cheek infection and wound up paralyzed was awarded $8 million in 2011. The family of a child who had an asthma attack and then died at a hospital because of doctor negligence was awarded $3.5 million for pain and suffering, and $500,000 for wrongful death in 2007.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, about 93 percent of all medical malpractice cases are resolved before trial, with both parties often negotiating a settlement.

A New York medical malpractice lawyer can help

If you suffered from long wait times at the hospital that resulted in additional injuries, or were the victim of doctor negligence, you may be eligible for a medical malpractice lawsuit. Your doctor may have made a mistake in diagnosing your illness, or may have given you the wrong medication for that illness. Surgical errors, birth injuries, and anesthesia problems may also qualify. The attorneys at the Sanders Firm will give you a free initial consultation to go over the facts of your case.

If you’re suffering from a hospital or negligence related injury, you do have rights. Call us today.