Undergoing surgery is stressful. Waking up to find out that the medical team operated on the wrong body part is devastating. If you or a loved one suffered from this preventable medical error, you may have grounds to file a claim for wrong site surgery malpractice in New Orleans.
At Sangisetty Law Firm, we take surgical errors seriously, especially those that should never have happened. We know how deeply these errors can affect your physical health, emotional well-being, and future. Our dedicated medical malpractice attorneys could help you determine what went wrong and what you could do about it.
What Causes Wrong Site Surgery?
While it may be difficult to imagine a highly trained medical team committing basic errors, wrong site surgery is surprisingly common. Although teams follow clear protocols, such as time-outs and surgical site markings, to minimize errors, factors like rushed decisions, miscommunication, paperwork errors, and human oversight can still cause these mistakes.
Operating on the wrong side of the body, the wrong organ, or even the wrong patient is a “never event”, a term used in health care to describe mistakes so egregious they should never occur. Our New Orleans malpractice lawyer could investigate whether the team followed proper safety procedures during the surgery and identify how the wrong site error occurred.
What Makes Wrong Site Surgery Cases Unique?
Unlike in other medical malpractice cases in New Orleans, it is relatively easy for lawyers to prove liability in wrong site surgery cases. However, the attorneys must work diligently to document the full extent of the damage, both physical and emotional, and pursue compensation that reflects that harm.
Victims of these errors may have to undergo another surgery, face permanent complications, or deal with trauma from the experience. They may discover the error only when symptoms surface long after the surgery. Our experienced legal professionals know how to demonstrate both what went wrong and how the mistake impacted the victim’s life.
Possible Compensation After a Wrong Site Surgery
Wrong site surgery can impact nearly every part of a person’s life, from their ability to work to their mental health. A legal claim could help cover:
- The cost of corrective or follow-up surgery
- Hospital bills, medication, and therapy
- Missed income or long-term loss of earning capacity
- Physical pain or lasting disability
- Emotional suffering and loss of trust in medical care
- Wrongful death damages, in rare but tragic cases
A New Orleans malpractice lawyer could work with medical experts and economists to understand what a victim has lost because of the wrong site surgery. Our attorneys could fight for full and fair compensation.
Call a New Orleans Malpractice Lawyer for Help After a Wrong Site Surgery
When a medical professional makes this kind of error, they may offer a rushed explanation or no explanation at all. They may tell you it was a mix-up or that they are “looking into it”, answers that will not help you heal or rebuild your life. If the medical team will not tell you the truth, a lawyer could help you uncover it.
These surgical errors are violations of trust, safety, and professional responsibility. If you have been the victim of wrong site surgery malpractice in New Orleans, contact Sangisetty Law Firm. Our lawyers could investigate and fight for the compensation you deserve. While we are based in New Orleans, we proudly represent individuals throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.