Indianapolis Emergency Room Negligence Attorneys

Emergency Department Negligence & Malpractice in Indiana

When a medical condition or injury is serious enough to warrant emergency attention, we expect a certain level of treatment and care. Unfortunately, emergency room errors are shockingly common in the United States—and they often have deadly consequences.

If you or someone you love suffered harm due to an emergency department’s negligence or error, reach out to our team at Hovde Dassow + Deets. With more than 100 years of combined experience, our Indianapolis emergency room negligence attorneys know how to effectively navigate these complex cases. We have successfully represented countless clients in medical malpractice claims involving negligent ER personnel, substandard emergency treatment, and urgent care center negligence. To date, we have secured more than $300 million in compensation for our clients, and we always fight to maximize each individual client’s recovery.

Call Hovde Dassow + Deets at (317) 576-3241 for personalized and aggressive legal representation. Contact us to schedule your free consultation.

What Is Emergency Room Negligence?

Emergency room negligence occurs when a patient receives substandard medical care in an emergency department, whether at a hospital, an urgent care facility, or some other medical institution. Proving substandard care in any medical malpractice case can be difficult, but it may be even more so in emergency room negligence cases. This is because ER personnel and staff are held to a different standard of care than other medical providers in less intensive situations. To have a case, you will need to prove that you did not receive the same level of care you could reasonably expect to have received in another emergency department in the same or similar circumstances.

Some examples of emergency room negligence include:

• Misdiagnosis of heart attack, stroke, and other serious medical conditions
• Delayed diagnosis and/or treatment
• Failure to diagnose a serious medical condition
• Triage errors
• Medication errors, including improper dose or incorrect administration
• Improper or incorrect analysis of lab/test results
• Failure to obtain a patient’s medical history (when possible/appropriate)
• Intubation errors
• Failure to perform necessary measures to prevent infection
• Surgical errors made before, during, or after emergency surgery
• Failure to admit patients to the hospital
• Early discharge
• Poor or absent follow-up care

These and other emergency room errors can have serious implications, resulting in severe bodily injury, life-threatening complications, and even death.

The Emergency Room Standard of Care

All medical providers are held to certain standards of care. These standards are generally defined as the minimum level of acceptable care that one could expect to receive from another qualified medical provider in the same or similar circumstances.

Different medical providers in various settings are held to different standards of care. For example, the law recognizes that emergency departments are highly intense and chaotic environments. Emergency room doctors must often make fast decisions and snap judgments when it comes to prioritizing and treating patients. As a result, emergency room doctors are generally held to less-strict standards of care than providers in other, calmer settings who may have more time to conduct tests, diagnose conditions, and prescribe treatments.

In nearly every case, proving that someone was the victim of emergency room negligence requires the testimony of expert witnesses. At Hovde Dassow + Deets, our Indianapolis emergency room error attorneys work with industry-leading medical experts who help provide powerful evidence on behalf of our clients. We are well-versed in both the legal and medical systems and know how to clearly demonstrate that our clients received substandard treatment, leading to injury and/or death.

Damages for Victims of Emergency Room Negligence

When emergency room doctors fail to properly treat patients seeking urgent care, the results can be devastating. For example, a woman who goes to the ER with symptoms of a heart attack only to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and sent home may experience a life-threatening or fatal cardiovascular event once she has left the hospital. A man who visits the ER with a compound fracture and does not immediately receive prophylactic antibiotics may develop a serious infection.

At Hovde Dassow + Deets, we recognize the immense impact emergency room errors can have on the lives of victims and their loved ones. Because of this, our Indianapolis emergency room negligence lawyers fight to maximize each and every one of our client’s recoveries. Our goal is to secure the full, fair amount you are owed for your economic and non-economic losses.

Depending on the specific details of your case, you may be entitled to compensation for the following damages:

• Medical expenses related to your injury or condition resulting from substandard ER care
• Surgeries, rehabilitation, and other treatments required to address your injury or condition
• Medical care costs associated with treating your loved one’s fatal injury or condition
• Funeral and/or burial costs in cases involving wrongful death
• Pain and suffering, including both physical pain and emotional/mental distress
• Lost or diminished quality of life/enjoyment of life
• Loss of income, wages, and/or employment benefits, such as pension or retirement funds
• Lost or reduced earning capacity if your injury or medical condition is/was disabling

We can discuss the details of your case during a free consultation, either in person or over the phone, and provide personalized information specific to your situation, including which types of damages you may be entitled to receive, as well as the potential overall value of your case.

Contact Our Firm for a Complimentary Case Evaluation

When you choose Hovde Dassow + Deets, you receive highly personalized and attentive support from a legal team that truly cares. Our partner attorneys will meet with you personally to discuss your case and will remain deeply invested and involved in your claim from start to finish. You will not be pawned off to an inexperienced attorney or paralegal who has never handled your type of case before.

We are proud to be recognized as one of the leading personal injury and medical malpractice law firms in Indiana. Our attorneys have extensive trial experience, and we are ranked as one of seven Tier 1 law firms in the state for medical malpractice law (plaintiffs) by U.S. News and World Report.

Get in touch with us today to learn more; call (317) 576-3241 or contact us online.