When you go to the hospital for treatment, the last thing you expect is that the careless or negligent actions of the hospital staff will cause you harm. However, you may be entitled to compensation for mistreatment at the hospital. At The Weitz Firm, LLC, our dedicated and knowledgeable Philadelphia medical malpractice attorneys want to discuss instances in which a hospital can be held responsible for the mistreatment. We will work to secure the compensation you are entitled to.
This country has a problem. The problem is that researchers indicate that as many as 250,000 people die in the US each year due to medical mistakes. Johns Hopkins researchers have said that preventable medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the country.
If you or somebody you care about has been injured, or if you have lost a loved one, due to medical negligence, you may wonder whether or not the hospital they were treated at can be held responsible. This is a complicated question. In general, if the employee of a hospital causes harm to a patient by acting negligently, the hospital will be responsible. However, the hospital’s liability largely depends on who commits the medical mistake.
Generally, nurses, medical technicians, and other hospital staff are direct employees of the hospital. If any employees of a hospital made a mistake while they were performing job-related functions when the mistake occurred, an injured patient can generally sue the hospital for damages. For example, if a registered nurse employed by the hospital injects a patient with an incorrect medication and causes permanent disability to the patient, the hospital will likely be held responsible for the nurse’s mistake.
However, you will find that in many cases, doctors and surgeons are not employees of the hospital. They are often classified as independent contractors. A medical mistake committed by the doctor or surgeon (or even the hospital staff while they are working under the care of the doctor), will likely not be the responsibility of the hospital. In these cases, an injured patient will have to file a medical malpractice suit against the doctor responsible for the error.
If the doctor is an employee of the hospital, or if it is found that a hospital kept an incompetent doctor on their staff, the hospital may be responsible for any injuries or illnesses that occur due to that doctor’s mistake.
If you or somebody you care about has been harmed due to the mistreatment of hospital staff, contact an attorney as soon as possible. At The Weitz Firm, LLC, our dedicated inexperienced team understands these cases. We will work to secure the compensation you are entitled to, which can include:
If you need a Philadelphia medical malpractice attorney, you can contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or calling 267-587-6240.
