Sometimes doctors and nurses make mistakes when treating their patients. The severity of the consequences depends on how major their errors are. However, it is usually the patient who suffers from the negligence of their caretakers. Even if these mistakes are completely accidental, the aftermath can potentially be fatal – and in Colorado, victims of medical malpractice have every right to file cases against the care providers who failed them.
Common examples of medical malpractice
There are four elements of medical malpractice – the duty owed by a health care provider, the duty breached, the injury caused as a result and the fact that the patient suffered the injury. In Colorado, there are many actions and errors a medical professional can make that fall under malpractice, including:
- Misdiagnosing a condition or illness
- Misinterpreting your results
- Failing to check for allergies
- Using too much or too little anesthesia
- Operating on the wrong body part
- Performing the incorrect procedure
- Leaving surgical tools inside a patient
- Prescribing the wrong medicine
- Administering the incorrect dosage of medicine
If you sustain injuries from the negligence and mistakes of someone supposed to take care of you, you are eligible to receive financial compensation. This is accomplished by gathering evidence of your injury and filing a lawsuit. It is worth noting that in Colorado, the statute of limitations for medical malpractice is two years.
Receiving compensation for medical malpractice
In Colorado, medical malpractice is not considered a crime, but it is a form of negligence. You can file a lawsuit against a medical professional who fails you. Medical malpractice has the potential to be dangerous and even life-threatening, depending on the gravity of the error. Filing a lawsuit allows you to receive financial compensation if a health care provider’s errors injure you or make existing health conditions worse.