Were you or a loved one harmed by an adverse drug reaction? Or given the wrong dosage of medication? Finding out that a medical professional you trusted made a mistake is devastating. You could be entitled to compensation for medical care associated with the error, along with money for lost wages and pain and suffering.
If you’ve been injured by medication errors in Baltimore, MD, WGK Personal Injury Lawyers is ready to help. We have over 80 years of combined experience handling personal injury and medical malpractice cases. Since 1977, our three generations of lawyers have recovered tens of millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for deserving victims.
Contact our Baltimore, Maryland law firm at (410) 837-2144 for a free and confidential case evaluation.
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How WGK Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help With a Medical Malpractice Claim Caused By a Medication Error in Baltimore
Our Baltimore medical malpractice attorneys routinely help clients after they have suffered harm at the hands of doctors, nurses, and other medical providers. Hiring the right attorney to take on large medical insurance companies is essential to your case. Our law firm is well-established in Baltimore, and we have the financial resources to sustain a complex medical negligence case.
When you hire our top-rated legal team, we’ll:
- Determine the cause of the medication error through extensive investigation
- Use experts to help us understand all implications of the error, including long-term consequences
- Identify all parties who contributed to the mistake
- Calculate damages that reflect the full extent of your injuries
- File all administrative claims or legal documents needed to pursue compensation
- Handle all communications and negotiations with insurance companies and hospital representatives
- Send an experienced trial lawyer to present your case to a jury, if necessary
We are skilled litigators who never hesitate to take a case to trial. And we work on a contingency fee, so you only pay our legal fees if our Baltimore medication errors attorneys win.
How Common Are Medication Errors?
Up to 9,000 people die every year in the U.S. due to medication errors. At that rate, that’s about 24 every day. Countless others suffer from dosage errors or from being prescribed the wrong medication.
One study indicates that nearly 7 million patients are affected every year by medication errors. The cost required to care for patients who have suffered a medication error is staggering—more than $40 billion a year.
Overview of Medication Errors
When medication is required to treat your injury or illness, you must get a prescription that is tailored just for you and take the medication exactly as prescribed. But it’s more complicated than that. Prescribing the right medication requires a doctor to understand your medical history and monitor your progress once you start taking the medicine.
Medication errors may occur in the hospital, such as when anesthesia is administered during surgery. But many may occur when the patient is sent home with a prescription.
What Are Examples of Medication Errors?
Some errors occur when:
- The wrong drug is prescribed
- The wrong dosage is prescribed
- The drug is administered at the wrong time
- The drug is given to the wrong patient
Hospitals are busy places, even chaotic at times. Many medical mistakes happen in the emergency department, operating rooms, or intensive care units.
What Causes Medication Errors?
Nearly 75% of medication errors are thought to be caused by distracted physicians. This may account for the wrong dosage or instructions. Some medication errors happen by failing to consider, recognize, or treat the effects of the drug. All of these types of errors fall into the category of medical malpractice.
Some specific causes of medical errors include:
- Failure to monitor vital symptoms after drug administration
- Failure to take into account the patient’s renal or liver function
- Failure to confirm patient allergies or other patient data
- Failure to warn the patient of a drug’s side effects
- Illegible writing
- Mislabeling drugs
- Using expired medication
- Poor communication
- Using contaminated medication
- Improper drug storage
- Lack of training on drug interactions
Our Baltimore medication errors lawyers have an excellent relationship with knowledgeable and trusted medical experts who are available to assist us with medical malpractice cases. Their expertise is often a key factor in winning negligence cases.
Who Is Responsible for Medication Errors in Baltimore?
Most medication errors are a result of medical negligence, and all parties who contributed to the mistake can be held accountable.
This may include:
- Doctors
- Nurses
- Hospital staff
- Hospitals, clinics, or laboratories
- Drug manufacturers
- Anesthesiologists or other specialists
- Pharmacists
It’s our mission to help bring justice to those who have been injured. That means holding all responsible parties financially accountable for the harm they’ve caused.
Harmed By a Medication Error in Baltimore? Call Our Baltimore Medical Malpractice Lawyers for a Free Consultation
Our legal team has over a century of combined legal experience, and we’ve been helping people throughout Baltimore for more than 45 years. We are well-respected in the community for our expertise, commitment to clients, and ethical approach.
If you were harmed by a medication error in Baltimore, call WGK Personal Injury Lawyers for help. Initial consultations are always free.
