Advocating on Behalf of Victims of Emergency Room Errors

Demanding accountability for patients throughout Kentucky

An emergency room can be a hectic place. The patients in an ER may be in life-or-death situations when they enter, requiring the help of a doctor as quickly as they can get it. Speed, however, should not be a substitute for the standard of care all patients have the right to expect from their doctors. At Crandall & Pera Law, we strive to hold negligent emergency room personnel responsible when their mistakes cause our clients additional pain and suffering. We are intimately familiar with the laws that govern emergency care in Kentucky. Our on-staff registered nurses and attorneys team up with retained experts to create a case that is grounded in sound medical judgment as well as the law. The lawyers of Crandall & Pera Law will strive to protect your best interests if you are hurt by a negligent ER staff member or doctor.

Understanding the sudden emergency doctrine

Simply put, the emergency doctrine allows a person to act reasonably in an emergency situation to help another person without fear of being subject to a lawsuit. For example, if you are choking and someone administers CPR, the other person does not have to worry about a lawsuit if he or she cracks one of your ribs, because the imminent danger of choking is deemed more severe than the dangers associated with a cracked rib.

Medical providers in the emergency room, however, are held to a higher standard of care than the average citizen. They are expected to understand the difficulties in emergency care and have been trained to handle those types of cases.

Common emergency room errors

ER doctors, nurses and staff often work in long shifts. Their fatigue, and the already high stress levels associated with emergency care, may create an environment that puts patients at a greater risk of injury from negligent care. When negligent care occurs, not only the doctors, but also the hospital and its staff may be liable for the injuries associated with emergency room errors. In Kentucky, you can bring a lawsuit against an emergency room doctor or hospital and its staff members for negligent care involving:

• Delayed treatment
• Misdiagnosing an injury or illness
• Prescription medication mistakes
• Failure to obtain a full medical history
• Failure to monitor a patient
• Anesthesia errors
• Releasing a patient before it is prudent to do so (also known as “patient dumping”)
• Failure to warn a patient
• Failing to obtain informed consent

Crandall & Pera Law understands the difference between the inherent risks associated with medical care and medical negligence. Our lawyers and registered nurses are experienced in investigating claims arising from emergency room mistakes. If we find that a hospital or its staff was negligent in their treatment, we put our years of experience to work for you. Please refer to our track record of success in emergency room malpractice cases throughout Kentucky; for example, in one case, we were able to obtain a settlement for $2.45 million for a woman who suffered brain damage after her condition was misdiagnosed in the ER. That money provides medical care for our client, and helped secure a trust to ensure she will be taken care of in the future.

We help to protect your future after an emergency room error threatens to turn your life upside down

Emergency rooms are stressful places, but that does not make medical providers exempt from liability. Crandall & Pera Law strives to help victims of emergency room mistakes. Please call 877-686-8879 or fill out our convenient contact form, to schedule free initial consult with an attorney at one of our Kentucky office locations in Lexington or Louisville.