Never Events: Catastrophic Medical Mistakes That Should Never Occur

 Posted on May 11, 2023 in Medical Malpractice

Medical mistakes vary in severity. Some mistakes are harmless and only result in mild frustration or wasted time. However, other medical mistakes are so catastrophic that they forever change the patient’s life. “Never events” are medical errors that are so egregious they should never happen.

If you or a loved one were the victim of a serious medical mistake causing injury or death, you have the right to pursue justice and financial compensation through a medical malpractice claim. Reach out to an experienced medical malpractice attorney to discuss your situation in detail and learn about your legal options.

What is a Never Mistake?

Never events can be broadly classified as mistakes that are preventable and result in severe or fatal harm to a patient. Doctors, surgeons, and other medical professionals have a legal duty to meet the medical standard of care. This means that they must act with a reasonable degree of proficiency. In many medical malpractice cases, it can be hard to know exactly what constitutes the standard of care. However, certain mistakes are so egregious that there is little room for debate.

Never events include events such as:

• Performing surgery on the wrong body part or the wrong patient

• Retention of a foreign body in a surgical patient (leaving an object inside a patient’s body)

• Sending a newborn home with the wrong parent

• Artificial insemination with the wrong donor egg or sperm

• Serious disability or death caused by a medication error

• Serious disability or death caused by the administration of ABO/HLA-incompatible blood

• Patient suicide while being cared for in a hospital or other healthcare facility

• Sexual assault of a patient

• Stage 3 or 4 bedsores (pressure ulcers) caused by neglect

• Serious injury or death of a patient caused by a physical assault  

• Patient death or disability caused by elopement from a healthcare facility 

Medical Malpractice Claims for Never Event Victims

Victims of egregious medical mistakes or the surviving family of a deceased patient may be able to recover financial compensation and hold the hospital or other facility accountable through a medical malpractice claim. A medical malpractice claim may allow for the recovery of monetary damages for medical bills, funeral and burial expenses, pain and suffering, disfigurement, lost quality of life, lost income and earning capacity, and other losses.

Contact our Springfield Medical Malpractice Lawyers

At Kanoski Bresney, our Bloomington medical malpractice attorneys help patients and their families hold negligent healthcare facilities and providers accountable. Call our office today at 888-826-8682 to set up a free consultation. We will evaluate your case and help you explore your legal options. You may be entitled to financial compensation for your economic losses as well as the non-economic suffering you or your loved one experienced.

Source:

https://www.qualityforum.org/topics/sres/serious_reportable_events.aspx