Radiological tests are essential tools physicians use to diagnose a medical condition. Physicians rely on the results of these tests to develop an effective treatment plan. Sadly, radiological errors can result in severe harm and injuries for patients.
The Boca Raton radiological errors lawyer of the Hollander Law Firm Accident Injury Lawyers works with clients to recover compensation for injuries and damages caused by diagnostic errors.
For over 28 years, our injury lawyers have represented injured victims in Boca Raton, Florida.
If you believe medical errors caused your injury and harm, contact our office at (561) 347-7770. You can schedule a free consultation with a Boca Raton injury lawyer.
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How Our Boca Raton Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help if You’ve Been Injured Because of Radiological Errors
Patients who sustain injuries and harm because of medical negligence deserve to be compensated for their injuries, economic losses, and other damages. However, medical malpractice insurance companies and medical providers often deny liability for claims.
Moreover, insurance companies use their considerable resources to fight valid medical malpractice claims.
You deserve compensation for the harm caused by a radiological error. The Boca Raton medical malpractice lawyers of the Hollander Law Firm Accident Injury Lawyers use our resources to pursue radiological error claims.
When you hire our legal team, you can expect us to:
- Provide a thorough and honest assessment of your case
- Investigate the cause of your injury and identify all parties who could be liable for your damages
- File insurance claims and handle all matters with the insurance company
- Document your damages and calculate the maximum value for your personal injury claim
- Work with medical experts to prove fault and liability
- Aggressively represent your best interest inside and outside of the courtroom
- Prepare and file a medical malpractice lawsuit if the parties refuse to negotiate a fair settlement for your claim
Our Boca Raton personal injury attorneys have over 28 years of experience handling personal injury claims in Boca Raton, FL. Put our experience and resources to work for you.
Contact our law office today to schedule your free consultation with a medical malpractice lawyer in Boca Raton.
How Common Are Radiological Errors?
Radiological errors are estimated to occur in three to five percent of cases in the United States. Diagnostic errors can cause extreme harm to patients.
Estimates suggest 80 percent of the cases involving radiology-related malpractice claims resulted in death or permanent disabilities for the patients.
Overview of Radiological Errors
Doctors rely on a variety of radiology tools to diagnose diseases, injuries, and illnesses.
Common medical imaging technology used by medical professionals includes:
- X-rays
- CT scans
- MRIs
- Mammograms
- Ultrasounds
- PET scans
Treating physicians order imaging tests based on a person’s symptoms. The test results are used to confirm a diagnosis or give the physician more information to develop a diagnosis. A correct diagnosis allows a physician to develop a treatment plan that gives the patient the best chance of recovery.
What Are Common Causes of Radiological Errors?
The causes of radiological errors include human and mechanical errors.
Errors occurring when performing or interpreting radiology tests include:
- Performing services under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Making mistakes when reading the result of a test (interpretive error)
- A radiologist stops searching for abnormalities or problems after discovering the first abnormality (Satisfaction of Search errors)
- Mechanical malfunctions, lack of equipment maintenance, or defective equipment
- Lack of training or experience
- Rushing to complete tests and read results due to understaffing situations
- Physician fatigue or drowsiness from working conditions
- Distractions and perception errors
- Errors because of a physician’s predetermined assumption of the results (cognitive bias errors)
- Reading the test results for another patient (records handling mistakes)
There are ways to reduce the risk of radiological errors. A common method for error reduction is double reading.
Two or more radiologists read the results of a radiological test. The “double reading” helps reduce the risk that an incorrect reading could make its way to a treating physician. If the radiologists disagree about the results, they can perform another rest or consult a third radiologist.
Common Types of Injuries Caused by Radiological Errors
There are several potential consequences of radiological errors. The worst consequence is wrongful death. A patient dies because of the mistakes made when performing or reading an imagining test.
Other potential consequences for patients include:
- The patient receives the wrong treatment because of a radiological error
- A delayed diagnosis reduces the patient’s chance of making a full recovery because the patient does not receive prompt medical treatment
- A patient may develop a permanent impairment because of the radiological error
- The patient could sustain a brain injury, organ failure, strokes, or heart attacks because of radiological errors
The damages resulting from a radiological error may include substantial economic losses, such as medical bills and lost income. The patient may also experience unnecessary pain and suffering because of the medical error.
Who is Liable for a Radiological Error in Boca Raton, FL?
Radiologists are physicians with special training to read the results of medical imaging tests. Most radiological errors are the result of negligence or errors made by radiologists. As with other medical malpractice claims, the negligent person is financially liable for the patient’s damages and injuries.
Therefore, if the radiologist made a mistake reading your test results, the radiologist is liable for damages.
You could be entitled to economic and non-economic damages for:
- Medical Bills, including future anticipated medical costs
- Lost wages, including future lost wages
- Reduced Earning Capacity
- Pain and Suffering
- Loss of Consortium
- And more
However, there could be other parties who might be liable for your losses.
Technicians usually perform the tests and send the results to the radiologist for review. If the technician makes your mistake or error, the hospital or medical facility could be liable for damages. On the other hand, if a defective machine caused the error, the equipment manufacturer could be responsible for your damages under product liability laws.
A thorough investigation of how the radiological error occurred is necessary to identify the parties who might be liable for your personal injury claim.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Boca Raton Medical Malpractice Law Firm
The legal team of the Hollander Law Firm Accident Injury Lawyers gets answers. We continue to dig into the case’s facts until we uncover the truth about what happened to you.
Florida law only gives you two years to file your medical practice or wrongful death lawsuit before you can no longer sue for damages.
Do not delay. Contact our office to schedule a free consultation with one of our Boca Raton radiological errors lawyers. We want to help you get the money you deserve after being injured because of medical malpractice.
