Blog Entries
Man Dies Wrongful Death in Hospital Misdiagnosis
People go to hospital to get better. They don’t expect to die due to a misdiagnosis.
This is a case I heard about recently that points out that doctors can and do make mistakes when it comes to diagnosing patients. Something this man’s family found out the hard way when they lost their husband, father, grandfather and brother.
Here is the disturbing story. Mr. Sims (names have been changed to protect the victim’s identity) went to a local hospital in Seattle to have surgery to remove a noncancerous mass. Three days later, he died as a result of peritonitis that was misdiagnosed after his surgery. His family was worried sick about him, as he kept complaining about severe pain and thirst after the operation. He died an agonizing death.
The family filed a wrongful death lawsuit based on the fact that the man’s physicians failed to diagnose and treat the well-known signs of peritonitis. Evidently the doctors who treated him have credentials to practice at the hospital, but are not employed by the hospital.
This will be a contentious case based on what we know so far. There is certainly some indication of negligence on the part of the surgeons and the hospital staff. The difficulty will be proving it; something that will more than likely need to be done with the assistance of expert witnesses. In addition, medical malpractice lawsuits are often time consuming and expensive cases that even if an award is handed out, it may be capped – an injustice to the grieving family and an insult to the deceased who died in severe pain.
Generally speaking, if a person is killed due to the wrongful conduct of another, his heirs have the right to file a wrongful death action. This is an area of tort law that is governed by statute. While each state has a wrongful death statute, it tends to be different for every state. You need to check with your attorney to find out what applies in your state. What you need to know upfront is that most of the statutes cover who may sue and what limits there may be to an award (capping).
Of interest is that wrongful death statutes were originally created to allow financial support for widows and orphans, with the underlying purpose to encourage people to prevent injuries. You need to understand that a wrongful death action is not a criminal action and that you may file both types of actions – criminal and civil. Put another way, if someone was tried and found not guilty of murder, the family of the deceased may still sue for wrongful death.
Michael G. Smith is anArkansas personal injury lawyer and Arkansas accident lawyer, practicing personal injury law in Arkansas. Learn more by visiting Arkansaslawhelp.com
Nursing Home Abuse Takes Many Forms
Nursing home abuse takes on many forms, and in this case, caused a resident to lose a finger.
They say that truth is stranger than fiction, and that seems to be the case in this nursing home abuse story that took place recently in New York. The incident started when an elderly gentleman fell while he was in the nursing home. Over the course of 12 days, the right ring finger developed gangrene and was amputated.
The disturbing thing about this case is that he fell in the first place, as he was assessed at high risk for falls when he was admitted. Evidently he was not monitored that well. The second thing is that it took 12 days for the nursing staff to notice that anything was wrong with his hand. Add to that oversight the fact no one on the nursing staff even wrote his accident in his patient chart. Wait, there’s more. As an Arkansas personal injury lawyer, this case really disturbed me.
Even when his swollen finger had been noticed, the nurse’s “still” didn’t enter that information in his chart. The man had to have it amputated when the staff finally figured out the finger tissue was dead. This is just a horrendous example of neglect and negligence. Did the family file a lawsuit? You bet they did.
The complaint said the nursing home failed to give proper or adequate supervision for the man and failed to notice or treat his finger injury in a timely manner. The bottom line here is that when a nursing home doesn’t provide proper supervision, especially for high risk fall patients, this can and does often lead to abuse and other instances of neglect. The nursing home’s job is to monitor its residents, treat injuries, and provide adequate care and supervision. If this man’s initial injury had been taken care of right away, he would not have lost his finger.
When we place our elders in a nursing home, we don’t expect they will be neglected or abused. We expect they would get the proper care and attention they need and deserve. Over the last few years, nursing home abuse has become a national concern. None of the things our elders are subjected to in some nursing homes is acceptable under any circumstances.
If you suspect nursing home abuse, call a skilled Arkansas personal injury lawyer and get to the bottom of the situation. Someone has to put a stop to this kind of despicable behavior. Stopping elder abuse in its tracks starts with us.
Michael G. Smith is anArkansas personal injury lawyer and Arkansas accident lawyer, practicing personal injury law in Arkansas. Learn more by visiting Arkansaslawhelp.com
Nosocomial Infections a Real Problem
Who would have ever thought that when a person goes to hospital to get better, they may come home and die of an infection they got while they were in the hospital? Something entirely unrelated to why they were there in the first place.
It’s it a bit of an irony that we all go to a doctor when we are sick and expect them to help us, make us better or even fix whatever the problem is in the first place. “How devastating it is when going to the physician actually gives the patient a new threat to their health? This isn’t as farfetched as it may sound. It actually happens every day when people are discharged from the hospital,” said Michael G. Smith, a Little Rock injury lawyer and Little Rock accident lawyer, practicing personal injury law in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Many people are going home mostly recovered from what put them in the hospital in the first place and subsequently becoming very ill with a nosocomial infection. These infections are also called health care associated infection or hospital acquired infection.
“This isn’t good news and having another bout of illness on the heels of the first doesn’t do much for a person’s immune system. It makes one wonder why they go to the doctor or hospital in the first place if they are going to wind up sicker than they went in,” added Smith.
Nosocomial infections are those picked up in the hospital environment while in there for something else and are considered to be a genuine nosocomial infection if appearing within 48 hours or more after admission, or within 30 days after being discharged.
In the U.S. alone it’s estimated that one patient in ten gets a nosocomial infection. That translates into about 2 million patients a year and costs up to 11 billion to treat. These infections have also been cited as being responsible for an average of 88,000 deaths a year. “The most common nosocomial infections are pneumonias, infections of a surgical sites, and urinary tract infections. Sadly, about 92% of the deaths from hospital infections like this could be prevented,” Smith explained.
For a stark and unusual example of nosocomial infection in action, read the media reports of what is going on with the Cleveland Browns. Evidently at least five of their players have contracted some kind of infection that didn’t have a thing to do with the injury that sent them to hospital. “The biggest thing here to be extremely wary of is battling MRSA, otherwise referred to as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. In other words, it’s an infection that can’t be treated with methicillin antibiotic which is a major problem since that covers just about all the antibiotics used,” said Smith.
No matter how the individual contracted the nosocomial infection, this is something that needs to be discussed with a skilled personal injury lawyer. “Knowing what one’s rights are goes a long way toward having the situation legally resolved in a fair and equitable manner,” stated Michael G. Smith, a Little Rock injury lawyer and Little Rock accident lawyer, practicing personal injury law in Little Rock, Arkansas.
To learn more about Little Rock injury lawyer, Little Rock accident lawyer, Little Rock person injury lawyer, Little Rock malpractice lawyer, Little Rock injury attorney, Little Rock wrongful death attorney, visit Arkansaslawhelp.com.
VA Benefits & Medicaid
Before applying for Medicaid and VA Non-Service Pension Benefits, check to see if having both will act to disqualify getting Medicaid.
“While it’s true that the VA Non-Service Pension Benefits does help with eldercare, which can be very costly these days, having these benefits may greatly affect a pensioner’s ability to qualify for Medicaid in the area of assisted living once the pensioner’s benefits have run out,” said Michael G. Smith, a Little Rock injury lawyer and Little Rock accident lawyer, practicing personal injury law in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Having the VA Non-Service Pension Benefits really does help in terms of having extra income, however the pensioner needs to carefully check applying for it first, before making that decision. Having the extra money might not be in their best interests if they think they may require Medicaid before needing a greater level of care. “The thing to keep in mind is that once the veteran is awarded the additional income, the vet or surviving spouse can’t stop the benefits to qualify for Medicaid, which may cause some significant problems,” added Smith.
Consider the example of Mary Buetel who lived in a memory care assisted living community. That community organization helped Mary get VA surviving spouse benefits which increased Mary’s income to roughly $2,600 a month. That money combined with her savings helped her to pay for the community care she received.
Unfortunately, at the going rate of about $3,850.00 a month, her savings were running out quickly and Mary was faced with a real dilemma. Even if the community organization participated in the Medicaid waiver program, Mary would not qualify because the extra money she received from the VA put her well over her state’s Medicaid threshold. Mary doesn’t need long-term nursing home care, but because of her income, she may have no other alternative.
What happened here is that the person who helped Mary get her benefits in the first place didn’t pay much attention to or didn’t understand the possibility that Mary may need Medicaid once her assets were dried up. “The difficulty here is that when living providers arrange for VA benefits for their residents so that they have extra income, it is a violation of federal guidelines for an “interested” party to pay someone on the vet’s behalf to arrange this kind of service. In cases like that, many living providers have found themselves in a position of being liable,” Smith explained.
In fact, the specific regulation pertaining to situations like this reads as follows:
Federal Regulation 38 CFR 14.636: Payment of fee by disinterested third party. (i) An agent or attorney may receive a fee or salary from an organization, governmental entity, or other disinterested third party for representation of a claimant or appellant even though the conditions set forth in paragraph (c) of this section have not been met. An organization, governmental entity, or other third party is considered disinterested only if the entity or individual does not stand to benefit financially from the successful outcome of the claim. In no such case may the attorney or agent charge a fee which is contingent, in whole or in part, on whether the matter is resolved in a manner favorable to the claimant or appellant.
It can’t be stressed enough that veterans and their families need to know the “right” information before they make financial decisions that may have a major impact on their life and ability to be able to find proper care situations. “Yes, the additional income is nice, but if it comes with a hefty price tag and penalty later, it bears some serious research up front by a disinterested third party, such as a qualified lawyer,” commented Michael G. Smith, a Little Rock injury lawyer and Little Rock accident lawyer, practicing personal injury law in Little Rock, Arkansas.
To learn more about Little Rock injury lawyer, Little Rock accident lawyer, Little Rock person injury lawyer, Little Rock malpractice lawyer, Little Rock injury attorney, Little Rock wrongful death attorney, visit Arkansaslawhelp.com.
Big Rig Crashes Cause Big Problems
While big rig crashes are a reality we care not to think about too much, there are things car drivers may do to avoid potentially fatal crashes. In all instances where you have been in such a crash, contact a highly experienced Little Rock personal injury lawyer for advice and assistance.
Collisions with semi tractor trailer units never have a very happy ending. Whether the people involved are seriously injured or they do not survive the crash, this is one area of the law where you need to talk to an experienced Little Rock personal injury lawyer about your rights.
Statistically speaking, it seems to be a bit of a toss-up when it comes to the reasons for devastating crashes involving 18-wheelers and other vehicles. Some schools of thought think it’s largely the truck driver’s fault. Others think it is the driver of the car that causes the collision. Frankly, when push comes to shove, the reasons for the accident really only matter when it comes to putting together a court case. If there was negligence on the part of the trucker or the “other” driver, then you may be able to recover damages for your injuries.
=What on earth are car drivers doing that results in such horrific outcomes when they “meet and greet” a tractor trailer on the wrong side of the road, or are rear-ended? Typically when accidents of this nature take place, it’s the car driver who has lost sight of the fact that 18-wheelers don’t have the same ability to whip in and out of small spaces, or to quickly avoid another car in their way or even come to a quick stop.
Quick and stop when you’re talking about a big rig do not belong in the same sentence. For example, a car is able to come to a rather rapid stop if they’re traveling 55 mph and will accomplish that halt in about 265 feet. A huge truck with a load on will take at least 313 feet to stop, and not all that gracefully either. Herein lies a very crucial safety rule and that is to keep your car a safe distance behind or in front of the truck. If you don’t do that and have to stop suddenly, you will find the semi up the back of your car. This is a two-way street. You don’t want to be following a big rig too closely either in case they have to stop abruptly.
Passing and cutting back in front of the truck is another area that a lot of motorists really don’t “get.” When they cut in too closely, they don’t leave enough distance between the car and the truck. When something like that happens the trucker reacts by slamming on the brakes. This doesn’t only have the potential to affect you, who cut in front of him leaving him no room to move, but also other cars beside and behind the truck. In other words, “think” before you act when you are traveling with big rigs.
Motorists also need to realize that truckers do have blind spots. This shouldn’t really come as too much of a surprise, since cars have blind spots as well. The point here is that you do not want to be traveling in those blind spots or the trucker can’t see you. Stay away from the back of a semi, the right front and left rear. Keep in mind that when you pull out to pass, you can “not” be seen in those blind spots in either the rearview mirror or the side mirrors, and you run the risk of the truck pulling left or right into your lane. The end result is a nasty crash.
If you have been involved in a tractor trailer crash or have lost a loved one as a result of an accident with a semi, speak to a seasoned Little Rock personal injury lawyer. Find out what your rights are, what damages you may be able to claim, and how a case would proceed to court. Time is of the essence in cases like this, so don’t wait too long to speak to that attorney or the evidence in the case will be lost, or the statute of limitations may run out.
Michael G. Smith is a Little Rock injury lawyer and Little Rock accident lawyer, practicing personal injury law in Little Rock Arkansas. To learn more about Little Rock injury lawyer, Little Rock accident lawyer, Little Rock person injury lawyer, Little Rock malpractice lawyer, Little Rock injury attorney, Little Rock wrongful death attorney, visit Arkansaslawhelp.com.
Exploiting the Elderly Is Wrong
Abuse of the elderly is unfortunately all too common in this day and age. There is nothing that sparks such outrage than stories in the media of seniors being financially, emotionally, mentally or physically abused.
While it may be inevitable that your elders will need to spend time in a nursing home, you are placing them there for their care and safety. You are not taking them out of their familiar environment and much loved routines to be abused, neglected and taken advantage of in some of the worst ways we could possibly imagine. Sadly, this kind of abuse takes place more often than we’d like to think. It is horrendous, defies description and is just plain wrong. If you think your senior loved one is being subjected to abuse, immediately call a Little Rock personal injury lawyer.
Our seniors are entitled to be treated with dignity, respect and deference. Many of our seniors fought in wars that gave us what we so blindly take for granted today – the freedom to be who we are and do what we do. These people were injured on our behalf, lost family members fighting to give us this precious freedom, and are now in need of our help and care in a nursing home.
Nursing home abuse is way too common and it has to stop. People must speak up and out about it. Every senior in a nursing home has family that loves and cares for them and only wants to ensure they are safe. If the family suspects something is wrong, that their elderly family member is being abused, hit, shoved, kicked, shaken, pinched or burned, they need to speak to a skilled Little Rock personal injury lawyer. While these examples mostly deal with physical abuse, there are other insidious forms of abuse that are known to stalk the halls of nursing homes.
Some of the other forms of abuse that attorneys tend to see and hear about are the inappropriate use of chemicals/drugs as a form of restraint or retribution; the use of tie downs or straightjackets; and other monitoring devices being used as punishment. In some cases, seniors have been left for long periods of time physically restrained and unable to move until someone came to free them. Force feeding someone who is unable to eat without assistance is abominable and definitely a form of abuse, as is pushing elderly patients to perform bodily functions that are difficult for them.
Perhaps the most despicable form of abuse in a nursing home is sexual abuse. While it sounds awful, unfortunately there have been cases of this happening. It’s very difficult for elderly people to be able to effectively resist someone forcing themselves on them. Very plainly, without putting a fine point on it, this is “wrong.” Non-consensual sexual contact is abuse and so is having sex with someone who isn’t able to give their consent to the act. Sexual abuse can take the form of assault, sodomy, rape, improper touching, nudity and even the resident being harassed into posing for sexual or nude pictures.
If sexual abuse isn’t enough, there have also been cases of mental and emotional abuse. Consider how hard it is for seniors to have to rely solely on others for assistance performing their daily living tasks. This causes a great deal of embarrassment for many seniors who used to be independent. The shame they feel at not being able to do basic tasks is something that some nursing home workers will exploit to their own advantage.
The list of other abuses is too long to cover in this article, so we highly recommend that if you feel your loved one is the victim of nursing home abuse, do the right thing and contact a Little Rock personal injury lawyer immediately. The longer the abuse is ignored, the more people who will be affected by it. Speaking up on behalf of your senior will make a big difference in how the other residents in a nursing home are treated. Know your rights and what to do about nursing home abuse.
Michael G. Smith is a Little Rock injury lawyer and Little Rock accident lawyer, practicing personal injury law in Little Rock Arkansas. To learn more about Little Rock injury lawyer, Little Rock accident lawyer, Little Rock person injury lawyer, Little Rock malpractice lawyer, Little Rock injury attorney, Little Rock wrongful death attorney, visit Arkansaslawhelp.com.
Financial Senior Abuse
Many people are familiar with the term senior abuse, but many don’t consider financial abuse to be a crime. Sadly, this crime is on the rise.
The lousy economy these days has led to a new form of senior abuse – financial abuse, as younger members of a family start to take advantage of older relatives who may have a nest egg stashed away. We may not be aware of this happening because in most instances it starts slowly and without any fanfare. It may start with a request for a few dollars here and there and over time escalate into cash being taken out of a senior’s wallet or purse or from their bank account.
Maybe taking a few bucks from a senior doesn’t seem like a big deal, but if it continues, there is the potential to totally wipe out that person’s life savings. This is abuse, financial abuse. It’s a temptation to those who have very little money to spare in this economy. However, this is a form of stealing, even if the person the funds are being taken from is a family member.
Why is this particular form of elder abuse so easy to perpetrate? It largely has to do with the fact that since housing is in such a mess, many people who should be out on their own with the own homes are having to abandon that home and move back in with parents or other relatives. This isn’t the most ideal situation in many cases and causes a lot of stress and pressure for seniors who happen to be a part of those “new” living arrangements. In addition, a lot of younger individuals may not deal well with the loss of a job, family or home and turn to drugs and alcohol to handle matters. The potential for violence increases in circumstances like this. If that violence spills over to a senior, elder abuse takes on a whole other ugly façade.
Sadly, statistics show that about one in close to 25 cases of elderly people being financially exploited happened to be reported. The National Center on Elder Abuse extrapolates those figures to mean that there may be close to 5 million elderly financial abuse victims in the U.S. every year. That is a shocking statistic. It’s not just financial abuse that is going on either; at least five out of six cases that involve elder abuse deal with neglect and exploitation, and these go unreported as well. Many people who deal with elder abuse in the system are reporting a significant increase in elder abuse since the recession crept in.
In any situation where a senior is being abused, whether it is physically, emotionally, mentally, psychologically or financially, it’s best to speak to an attorney with experience in this area. Justice needs to be done for our seniors and the only way this will happen is by speaking to an attorney who understands the ramifications of elder abuse, and who is able to put a stop to it.
To learn more about Little Rock injury lawyer, Little Rock accident lawyer, Little Rock person injury lawyer, Little Rock malpractice lawyer, Little Rock injury attorney, Little Rock wrongful death attorney, visit Arkansaslawhelp.com.
Sports and Traumatic Brain Injuries
Head injuries sustained as a result of sporting injuries are serious and have the tendency to be cumulative, resulting in major trauma for the victim.
People are probably familiar with the term “Shaken Baby Syndrome” and understand immediately what that means in terms of damage to a baby. The result of a baby being shaken causes the infant’s brain to be bruised irreparably. Here is how that works. Inside everyone’s head there is a fluid filled space in between the actual skull and the brain. Apply enough force to the skull, say blunt force traumas that happen in sports, and the brain slaps up against the hard skull. The end result here is something called a concussion.
The other term for concussion is bruised brain and we all understand that some bruises are much worse than others. Watching hockey, football, soccer, polo or other body contact sports will inevitably show the viewer at least one bone crunching thump to the skull by one player to another. If the player has been in a particular sport for a number of years – say hockey for 5 or more years – they are likely to have sustained numerous concussions. Many of those hits to the head may not be that serious, but over a period of time the damage builds up and manifests itself in interesting and problematic ways.
For instance, cumulative damage may end up manifesting itself as short term memory loss or even pseudo-Parkinson’s disease. An example of a well-known sports figure who sustained cumulative brain damage is Mohammed Ali. His precise diagnosis is actually pseudo- Parkinson’s disease which is the adult equivalent of Shaken Baby Syndrome.
While everyone agrees that something needs to be done to make the sport safer, it still seems that no one knows exactly what to do or is hesitating to do it. Tighter chin straps would help, better helmets and decent mouth guards that actually allow a player to breathe through them would all be a great start. However, none of this addresses the legal ramifications of negligence in “not” providing players with the proper equipment, even when team owners are aware of the consequences of using improper gear.
It’s no laughing matter to get concussions on a consistent basis as a result of using not so safe paraphernalia. It’s no wonder that many people involved in sports are seeking legal counsel about the ramifications of being provided with improper gear. Only a skilled personal injury attorney will be able to address what this may mean in terms of compensation for personal damages sustained while playing sports.
To learn more about Little Rock injury lawyer, Little Rock accident lawyer, Little Rock person injury lawyer, Little Rock malpractice lawyer, Little Rock injury attorney, Little Rock wrongful death attorney, visit Arkansaslawhelp.com.
Motorcycle Injuries Critical
t’s important to note that since people are now taking to the road by way of motorcycle, thanks to the economy, motorcycle injuries are on the rise.
While traveling to and from work and other places by motorcycle may be a smart way to save money on gas and registration, it’s just not like riding in the relative safety of a steel enclosure like a car, that has “some” safety features like bumpers, air bags, seatbelts, crumple zones and the like. Being out there in the wind with no protection tends to put a biker’s safety at a great deal of risk.
The odd thing is that even with the increase in motorcycle accidents, many people seem to be unaware or oblivious as to what types of injuries a motorcycle accident may cause. Many of the injuries for those that survive may result in a lifetime of therapy and treatment. Many also result in death. For those that do survive, it is crucial to speak to a skilled personal injury attorney to recover compensation for your injuries.
Some of the injuries that are a result of a motorcycle accident are spinal cord damage, brain and head trauma, badly broken or shattered bones and the usual cuts, scrapes and bruises. The more serious injuries, of course, are spinal cord and head trauma. The spinal cord may be crushed as a result of the accident and since the cord is largely responsible for sending brain signals to and from our organs, this is a serious trauma.
In many instances, a crushed spinal cord may result in paralysis. Whether or not that results in being permanently paralyzed is mainly a function of how quickly the proper medical treatment was implemented. Some bikers regain the use of their body parts if they are treated promptly and get the right medication.
Traumatic brain injuries are more problematic in that they cause the brain to be slammed from one side of the skull to the other, resulting in bruising and swelling. This is a life threatening injury and often results in permanent cognitive impairment. Most patients who sustain an injury like this suffer from memory loss that ranges from mild to severe, severe headaches and impaired thinking. Brain damage may be permanent.
When it comes to broken bones, a motorcyclist may sustain anything from a clean break at one location to a more serious situation when the bones in their legs or arms are crushed. Crush injuries that are severe enough often mean amputation to save the biker’s life.
Always remember that even if an injury seems to be minor on first blush, it may turn out to be more serious down the road. Always make sure to consult with a personal injury attorney with extensive experience in this area. They will know immediately if your injuries have the potential to develop into something long-term. External injuries are usually indications of more serious internal problems.
Michael G. Smith is a Little Rock injury lawyer and Little Rock accident lawyer, practicing personal injury law in Little Rock Arkansas. To learn more about Little Rock injury lawyer, Little Rock accident lawyer, Little Rock person injury lawyer, Little Rock malpractice lawyer, Little Rock injury attorney, Little Rock wrongful death attorney, visit Arkansaslawhelp.com.
Fatal Drug Errors and the Elderly
When drug errors affect older Americans, they are more serious, as drugs affect them differently than younger people. Often a full dose for a younger person is too much for our elders.
Recent studies done across the nation are showing that over half of the residents in care homes are victims of prescription errors. These errors may be anything from uncomfortable side effects to death. Who is responsible for the medication errors? Typically, the people who cause medication errors are nursing home staff, pharmacists and other physicians treating the elderly.
The unfortunate thing when dealing with medication mess ups and the elderly is that even the smallest of goofs may end up being a royal disaster. It only takes one small error to set off a chain of cascading mistakes that may have deadly results.
The studies are showing that the reported mistakes are just the tip of the iceberg; and if you take into account the sheer size of the senior population these days, even the “small” proportion of reported screw-ups are likely representational of many, many more.
Most seniors that took part in the studies were taking, on average, as many as six to eight medications. The potential for drug interactions and reactions with that many drugs is staggering. In some of the cases studied, the family physician prescribed the wrong drug or didn’t consider how a new one would interfere or interact with an existing one. It’s a known fact that any more than three drugs on board can set a person up for a severe drug interaction problem.
Going from a nursing home care setting to the hospital is a situation fraught with all kinds of opportunities for mistakes. Many times the seniors don’t come in with enough information and many times they don’t leave hospital with enough information either. This is a two-way street where communication is essential, and it doesn’t seem to be happening.
Consider the disturbing story of a 90 year old D-Day vet whose prescription for morphine was faxed to a hospital. One of the decimal points was overlooked in the dosage. He died of a massive morphine overdose. Or consider the case of a 76 year old woman who was on 12 medications and hoarded them in her room, and no one thought to check to see if they were compatible or if she was actually taking them. She died of an overdose. There are many more cases that have made the nightly news, and will continue to find their way into the mainstream media. Our job is to “do” something to stop the mistakes.
Caring for the elderly is not easy due to the delicate equilibrium a physician must take to balance one drug and condition against another. It takes time, dedication and a lot of up-to-the-minute knowledge that many nursing home care doctors don’t always have or take the time to learn.
This isn’t to say that it’s acceptable to make mistakes. If there is negligence involved and proven, then medical malpractice moves from an abstract concept to a deadly reality.
Michael G. Smith is a Little Rock injury lawyer and Little Rock accident lawyer, practicing personal injury law in Little Rock Arkansas. To learn more about Little Rock injury lawyer, Little Rock accident lawyer, Little Rock person injury lawyer, Little Rock malpractice lawyer, Little Rock injury attorney, Little Rock wrongful death attorney, visit Arkansaslawhelp.com.