It’s not unreasonable for people to trust their doctors completely. After all, doctors receive a great deal of education to learn how to do the job that they do, and they certainly know more than the average person about medical issues. However, all doctors are different, and what one doctor suggests might not be another doctor’s first choice. Sometimes a doctor who jumps to one conclusion can cause serious damage to his or her patients.
A Wisconsin couple was recently awarded over $25 million, winning a case in which they alleged medical malpractice on the part of a doctor whose misdiagnosis resulted in the amputation of all of the woman’s limbs in 2011. Shortly before the amputation, she was suffering from multiple issues, including abdominal pain, but was discharged from the hospital and told to see her gynecologist for fibroid issues. The jury agreed that if she had been told that her symptoms could possibly be the sign of a serious bacterial infection, she would have sought additional treatment before the amputation was necessary.
It’s a question that we all should consider: if our doctor tells us what they think is wrong, would we question them? It seems obvious to press your doctor for certainty, but they are doctors, so surely they would’ve told you about a life threatening possibility, right? Especially in New York, we like to think that our doctors are top-of-the-line professionals who know every answer to every question, but that might not be the case.
If you or a loved one has suffered because of undergoing a life-altering treatment that could have been avoided, or if there were complications in such a procedure, you may be entitled to compensation. Legal assistance can help you make a case for your suffering and get you the compensation you deserve.
Source: JSOnline.com, “Jury awards Milwaukee woman $25.3 million in medical malpractice case,” Cary Spivak, July 7, 2014