Sometimes a doctor may be negligent with treatment or prescribe medication that is not appropriate, but other times, the damage may be caused by a hospital’s negligence. It is important to know what to do if this happens, so one doesn’t unintentionally make things worse.
A study done by John Hopkins Hospital/University reported that medical mistakes are the third most common cause of death in the United States, and they can happen at any time. They go on to say that in the United States, 250,000 people die annually from medical errors.
Things to avoid doing after experiencing malpractice
As important as it is to do the right things after a bad medical experience, it is possibly more important to not do the wrong things. Here are six things to not do:
- Don’t sign anything without first consulting with legal counsel.
- Don’t talk to the media about your case or post about it on social media.
- Don’t speak to anyone on the defense’s side, including their attorneys or employees.
- Don’t try to settle your injury claim with a hospital employee.
- Don’t agree to any settlement offers from a hospital unless you are working with an advocate experienced with medical malpractice in New Mexico.
- Don’t forget to keep records: Keep all records of contact with the hospital and doctors in one place so that they can be easily found if necessary. Get your medical records from the hospital or doctor’s office as soon as possible. Document everything. Write down what happened to you and when it happened.
Medical malpractice that results in injury or death can occur for many reasons. Whatever the reason, make sure that your actions don’t harm the case.
It’s important to take action as soon as possible because time limits for filing lawsuits are strict. If they expire, you may not be able to sue at all. Injuries from medical mistakes can happen anywhere, including hospitals, surgery centers and nursing homes. It is never too early to start investigating what happened and learning more about your options.
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