Every year, medical professionals in North Carolina and across the U.S. are responsible for making some serious mistakes that can have long-lasting and permanent effects on patients and their families. Performing surgery on the wrong side of the body, misdiagnosing an illness and giving a patient the wrong medication are all serious medical errors that could cause a patient to suffer major or fatal health complications.
Although thousands of medical mistakes are made every year in the U.S., hospitals and doctors don’t always disclose their mistakes, even to those who have been harmed by a medical error. When families have any reason to suspect that medical malpractice or hospital negligence contributed to a loved one’s injuries or death, they may want to consider consulting an attorney to learn more about their options and whether they may be entitled to obtain compensation for the damage and harm that has been done.
Authorities and hospital officials in North Carolina are still investigating the suspicious death of one patient from last week. On Nov. 6, a patient died during a defibrillation. It is unclear whether medical malpractice contributed to the patient’s death. According to reports, a fire broke out while medical professionals were using the equipment on the patient.
The hospital room fire occurred at an acute care facility in North Carolina. A spokesperson from the state Department of Health and Human Services reported that the fire broke out while hospital workers were using defibrillation equipment on an ill patient. Something had caused a spark in the room where the patient was being treated. The patient died and three hospital workers were injured in the fire. No other patients at the facility were harmed by the incident.
If investigators discover that the fire contributed to the patient’s death and that staff could have taken certain precautions to prevent the fire from happening in the hospital room, the victim’s family may have a valid medical malpractice claim. Although no amount of compensation can ever make up for the death of a loved one, some families may at the very least be able to obtain compensation for funeral expenses and medical expenses.
Source: ABC News, “Authorities: 1 Dead, 3 Injured in NC Hospital Fire,” Martha Waggoner, Nov. 6, 2012