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medical staff in an emergency room | Mandell, Boisclair and Mandell, Ltd.
November 16, 2022

Can You Sue for Negligent Emergency Room Treatment?

When emergency room (ER) doctors, nurses, and staff members make mistakes, filing a successful lawsuit involves proving that the mistake has breached the medical provider’s duty of care.

The experienced attorneys at Mandell, Boisclair & Mandell, Ltd. have served victims of medical negligence for decades. We have extensive experience in medical malpractice claims and are uniquely qualified to pursue the full and fair compensation to which you may be entitled under Rhode Island law.

Common Lawsuits Against Emergency Rooms in Rhode Island 

Even though emergency room negligence and medical malpractice claims are circumstance-specific, certain types of claims are common. For example, some of the most common lawsuits against emergency rooms in Rhode Island involve claims for: 

1. Failure to Diagnose

According to a Harvard report, many emergency room malpractice claims involve failure to diagnose. These cases can involve inadequate assessment of the patient’s condition prior to discharge, while others involve judgment errors when reviewing patients’ test results and images. Some of the medical conditions that most commonly go overlooked in emergency rooms include:

  • Bone fractures and soft tissue injuries
  • Brain hemorrhages 
  • Cancers
  • Heart attacks
  • Pulmonary embolisms 
  • Sepsis
  • Strokes 
  • Viral illnesses

2. Medication Errors 

Medication errors occur in emergency rooms for a variety of different reasons. Emergency room doctors can prescribe medications that patients shouldn’t take based on their medical history or their current list of prescriptions. With some exceptions, even in emergency situations, doctors must review patients’ records prior to prescribing medications. When doctors don’t have access to patients’ medical records, they must ask the right questions to avoid these types of problems. 

3. Triage and Other Administration Errors

Triage errors, “dumping” patients, mixing up patients’ records, and various other types of administration errors can also justify lawsuits against emergency rooms. 

Talk to a Providence Medical Malpractice Lawyer for FREE

If you were injured in an emergency room setting and you suspect negligence may have played a role, contact the Providence medical malpractice lawyers at Mandell, Boisclair & Mandell, Ltd. today. We will listen to your story and explain your rights and legal options.

Our results speak for themselves.

To speak with a lawyer about your case in confidence, please call (401) 273-8330 or request an appointment online today.