Wrongful Death Lawsuits From New York Medical Malpractice

There is no worse medical mistake than one resulting in the death of a patient. While a wrongful death case in medical malpractice may sound rare, unfortunately it does happen often and it can completely destroy an entire family. Any medical professional can cause a wrongful death, and all medical professional can be liable for causing a death.

When a loved one is killed by medical malpractice, the family can commence a wrongful death lawsuit to seek compensation for the loss of their loved one. A wrongful death lawsuit is a lawsuit to compensate the family for the loss of their loved one’s affection and love, loss of income, loss of services, and loss of companionship. A wrongful death lawsuit is also to punish the negligent party for the mistakes resulting in the death of a person. A family can also receive compensation for the pain and suffering of their loved one.

So how does a patient get killed in medical malpractice? There are many different ways which can result in the death of a patient, including the following:

• Medication errors;
• Surgical errors;
• Emergency room mistakes;
• Dropping a patient;
• Not monitoring a patient who is a fall risk properly;
• Failing to guard against a patient’s allergies;
• Anesthesia mistakes;
• Failing to protect a patient’s airway in surgery;
• Tool slip during surgery;
• Failing to triage a patient;
• Discharging a patient too soon;
• Delayed diagnosis;
• Failing to diagnose a patient;
• Prescribing too much medication;
• Prescribing medications which interact in a deadly way;
• Perforating a bowel;
• Causing a serious infection;
• Failing to treat an infection;
• Causing injuries such as bleeding; and
• Other serious injuries.

When a medical professional causes the death of a patient, the family can commence a wrongful death lawsuit against that provider. But the family can also sue the employer, commonly the hospital, medical office, or practice group. Other nurses and support staff can also be sued. Assistant surgeons can also be the cause of the medical malpractice and therefore can also be sued.