Were You Misdiagnosed After A Car Crash?

Any car accident can be frightening for the parties involved. The trauma can, however, be even more intense for those who are misdiagnosed after a crash. Being misdiagnosed after a car accident can result in serious complications and can even prevent a person from getting the treatment needed to prevent permanent disability. Someone who sustained a head injury, for instance, but who was sent home from the ER without a diagnosis, could later suffer life-altering symptoms due to a failure to treat the problem immediately. Individuals who are misdiagnosed in this way could face severe repercussions, including lifelong disability, making it especially imprint for accident victims who are misdiagnosed, to contact an experienced Fort Lauderdale medical malpractice lawyer, who can help them seek compensation for their medical bills and other losses.

Delayed Symptoms

There are a lot of reasons why a car accident-related injury might be misdiagnosed. Many injuries, for instance, including head trauma and soft tissue injuries, don’t show symptoms right away. Even sprains and smaller fractures may not be obvious at first. Emergency room staff still, however, have an obligation to carefully examine accident victims to ensure that they haven’t sustained any serious injuries that require immediate care, as even injuries that don’t show up physically can still be diagnosed through certain tests. Because some symptoms don’t manifest right away, it’s a good idea for accident victims to make an appointment with their primary care physician as a follow-up to an emergency room visit.

A Busy Emergency Room

Emergency rooms are often busy, with many patients, doctors, nurses, and lab technicians on the premises. Unfortunately, this makes it only too likely that an injury will be overlooked by staff members. This can have serious consequences for patients, who may not get treatment in time to ward off permanent damage. If your own injuries were overlooked by ER staff after an accident, or if the hectic environment led to a misdiagnosis, you should think about reaching out to an attorney, as you could be entitled to compensation for the mistake.

An Unconscious or Disoriented Accident Victim

Many patients who are rushed to the ER after a crash are often disoriented or even unconscious. This can make it difficult, if not impossible, to communicate with medical staff and emergency responders about their condition and symptoms, which can in turn affect the eventual diagnosis. Medical professionals are supposed to be aware of these risks and so are trained to look for specific things with unresponsive or disoriented patients. Those who are negligent in their duty and fail to remain vigilant for these signs could be held liable if their patients suffer serious complications as a result.

Seeking Legal Help

If you were misdiagnosed after a car accident and that misdiagnosis was the result of a healthcare provider’s negligence, you may have a valid medical malpractice claim. For an assessment of the strengths of your own case, please call 954-566-9919 and set up a meeting with the dedicated Fort Lauderdale medical malpractice lawyers at Boone & Davis today.

Resource:

hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/softtissue-injuries