After an accident that causes an injury, whether minor or major, first responders will most likely come to the scene to either evaluate you or transfer you to a hospital for more care. You expect them to provide adequate care in the meantime, but sometimes the opposite happens. Emergency medical teams are sometimes understaffed, have a lot of people to tend to on the scene, or make the wrong decision during a crucial time, which can lead to negligence of some patients and cause injuries.

A federal investigation is taking place at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg, West Virginia after evidence suggested potential wrongdoing in the deaths of 11 patients. So far, two of the deaths have been ruled homicides and both are the subjects of lawsuits.

In April 2018, Felix Kirk McDermott, 82, passed away just 24 hours before Georgie Nelson Shaw Sr., an 81-year-old Army veteran. Both bodies were exhumed during the winter months in 2018 and it was discovered that neither died from natural causes. Investigators learned both died from unnecessary insulin injections.

We trust our doctors to listen to our symptoms and figure out what’s wrong. From there, we follow their recommended treatment and can then start to heal and feel better. But sometimes, they may get the diagnosis wrong. Your real issue is left untreated. This can harm your health and wellbeing. If you’ve been through this experience, you may have legal options. First, let’s go over some signs and red flags of a misdiagnosis that was caused by negligence:

Preparing to have a child is often one of the scariest and most exciting times in anyone’s life. When it comes time to bring the baby into the world, many births run smoothly for the mother and infant. But what happens when things go wrong? Who should be held accountable for birth injuries? Our Charleston birth injury lawyers are prepared to find you the much needed answers to those questions.

Why Birth Injuries Occur

Birth injuries can lead to serious, lifelong consequences. According to the National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report, six to eight of every 1,000 infants are born with a birth injury. Women between the ages of 25 and 34 are more likely to sustain a birth injury when they have a birthing tool-assisted delivery.

If you or a loved one have been injured while under the care of a healthcare professional, you may have grounds for a medical malpractice case. While medical errors happen for a variety of reasons, there is never an excuse.

If you find yourself seeking legal guidance after a medical malpractice event, it’s likely you’ll realize just how complex these cases can be. At DiPiero Simmons McGinley & Bastress, PLLC, we’ll make these complicated legal matters easy to understand. Let’s start by going over the why most medical malpractice claims are considered civil cases.

Errors in the operating room can have permanent, life-altering consequences. We trust our doctors and surgeons to perform medical procedures efficiently and with our best interests in mind; however, surgical errors are much more common than you may think.

According to a study done by Johns Hopkins, surgical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States. They approximate that more than 250,000 deaths are caused by surgical errors every year. Our West Virginia surgical error lawyers are here to hold those medical professionals and hospitals accountable for their deadly mistakes.

Common Surgical Errors

Foreign objects are left in the patient’s body. 

A variety of equipment and medical tools are used during all surgeries. Too frequently, one of those tools is left inside a patient. This includes objects like scalpels, gauze, sponges, and clamps. Once left inside, the object can cause severe pain and infection. A secondary surgery and longer recovery time are necessary to remove the item and heal.