It can be nerve wracking for Louisiana residents to go to the doctor. They may be afraid of having tests done on them, but the results of those tests could allow a doctor to accurately and adequately treat the condition, often leading to a remedied or vastly improved medical condition. Sometimes, though, those tests are not conducted or the results are misread. These mistakes can leave a patient with a worsened medical condition that can be life-threatening.
A recently filed lawsuit against doctors and the hospital at which they work shows just how damaging failing to accurately read test results can be for a patient. In that instance, a woman had several ultrasounds and mammograms conducted on her left breast. Though it is assumed the doctors looked at the tests, they failed to spot a cancerous mass that continued to grow in size. The woman, who claims doctors should have biopsied and diagnosed the condition in a timely fashion, now faces an aggressive form of the cancer.
Patients who suffer a serious injury or a worsened medical condition because of negligent medical care should consider their legal options. Amongst them are filing a medical malpractice lawsuit. One of these claims, if successful, may bring the victim compensation to help pay medical expenses and cover lost wages. It may also serve as punishment to those medical professionals and institutions that harmed the victim.
A legal advocate can go a long way towards helping recover these awards. An attorney will seek out evidence, question witnesses and consult the law in order to craft the strongest legal case possible. This, together with aggressive legal argument and persuasive negotiation skills, may be the tipping point between recovering what is rightfully the victim’s and recovering nothing at all.
Source: The Madison-St. Clair Record, “Woman sues doctors claiming they failed to timely diagnose breast cancer,” Kelly Holleran, Dec. 30, 2013
