Medical malpractice committed by Chicago doctors, hospitals or nurses may result in minor or temporary injuries. Fortunately, victims may be able to recover compensation for their medical expenses, suffering and lost wages, which may allow victims to move on with their lives and forgive medical professionals for their mistakes.
But when medical malpractice results in the loss of a precious life, families are often left devastated. No amount of money can make up for a doctor’s mistake that leads to a patient’s fatal injuries. No amount of money will help a family forgive medical professionals for causing the wrongful death of a loved one. However, pursuing a medical malpractice claim may be the only way for families to obtain some sort of justice after losing a loved one because of a medical mistake.
Last month, a member of the U.S. Army and his wife announced that they are pursuing a lawsuit against the federal government after losing a healthy baby to a medical error. The family may never be able to get over losing their child to a mistake that could have been avoided, but their lawsuit may help to prevent other couples from going through such a devastating event.
The couple claims that doctors at a military hospital had mistakenly diagnosed the woman with possible cancer in her uterus. Doctors performed a procedure to remove the supposed cancerous mass that was discovered in the woman’s uterus. The woman was told that this operation was necessary to prevent cancerous cells from spreading. However, the woman did not have cancer. She was pregnant.
After the operation was performed and the mass was removed from the woman’s uterus, doctors discovered that the mass was a healthy fetus. The mistake was made in April 2011 after medical professionals misread an ultrasound and other medical tests, the couple’s lawsuit states. In addition to losing a child, the couple claims that the error has prevented them from being able to conceive another child.
Source: United Press International, “Suit: Langley base ended health pregnancy,” Feb. 17, 2013
- Our firm provides counsel to patients and families who have suffered pregnancy-related injuries as a result of medical malpractice. To learn more about protecting medical negligence victims’ rights, please visit our Chicago cancer misdiagnosis lawyers page.
