Lake Oswego Medication Errors Lawyer
A respected Lake Oswego medication errors lawyer from Paulson Coletti Trial Attorneys PC may be able to help you maximize your financial compensation after a medication mistake costs you time, money, and physical ailments. When you need a trial-proven Lake Oswego medical malpractice attorney on your side, our firm has over 50 years of combined experience and a passion for zealous client advocacy.
We work for you on contingency and are available 24/7 to ensure we can serve your needs. If you are ready to demand justice and the fair compensation you deserve, contact us to learn more about what your next steps should be.
Why Choose Paulson Coletti
You should be able to trust that your healthcare providers know what they are doing. When you go to the hospital or see your primary care doctor, you trust their diagnosis and treatment plans. Unfortunately, many medical professionals, including pharmacists and prescription drug manufacturers, make grave mistakes and errors that can cost patients in more ways than one. If you suffered an adverse drug event as a result of your healthcare provider’s negligence, you may have grounds for legal action.
When you need a catastrophic injury lawyer to help you hold these negligent healthcare providers and medical professionals accountable for their medication errors, Paulson Coletti Trial Attorneys PC could make all the difference in the outcome of your case. We will not hesitate to move forward with a medical malpractice lawsuit if that’s what it takes to maximize your payout. Our transparency and honesty set us apart from our competitors, so you can always feel confident with Paulson Coletti Trial Attorneys PC acting in your best interests.
Advantages of Having a Lake Oswego Medication Error Attorney On Your Side
The benefits of having a highly skilled Lake Oswego personal injury lawyer on your side are undeniable. Whether you are filing a claim against a hospital, prescription drug manufacturer, or individual provider, you are going to want a legal advocate on your side who will be able to challenge the defense’s evidence, ensure liability has been established, and build the strongest case possible in your favor.
While you focus on recuperating and rebuilding your life, our team can work on gathering supporting evidence, negotiating with the insurance company, and preparing to bring your medical malpractice lawsuit to trial. As part of this process, we will need to calculate the value of your claim and ensure we are taking into consideration the future impact of your injuries and damages.
You will never have to cover any of the costs that come up as we pursue your case. We handle these expenses on your behalf. After everything you have been through, we do not believe you should have to jeopardize your personal finances to get the justice you deserve. Our contingency agreements are always written following ORS § 20.340, so you can rest assured that you will pay nothing in legal fees unless or until we win.
Medication Errors are More Common Than You Might Expect
Many people are surprised to learn just how common medication errors are. According to the National Library of Medicine, there are over 1.3 million reports of prescription drug and medication errors annually across the United States. This can happen for a few different reasons. Incorrect labeling on products, products having similar packaging, lack of sufficient training, knowledge, or experience, and work-related stress have all been known to contribute to medication errors per the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Prescription medication errors can take multiple forms. Perhaps your healthcare provider prescribed you a medication that can interact with another drug that you were already taking. Or perhaps the pharmacy filled your prescription with the wrong medication. In some cases, drug manufacturers make mistakes in the manufacturing, labeling, and packaging of these medications.
Our team will be responsible for determining how this prescription medication error occurred. We need to conduct a thorough investigation so we can identify anyone and everyone who may share responsibility for your condition.
Consequences of a Medication Error
Medication errors can have a devastating impact on victims’ lives. As if it was not bad enough that you required medical attention in the first place, prescription drug mistakes can make a difficult situation that much worse. There are many possible side effects and consequences that could arise, depending on the type and amount of medication, your current health, whether you are taking any other medications, and other factors. Some examples of these potential consequences, as described by the National Institutes of Health, include:
- Body temperature changes
- Death
- Difficulty concentrating
- Disfigurement
- Drowsiness and fatigue
- Excessive weight loss or gain
- Lack of pain relief
- Migraines
- Nausea
- Pain
- Personality changes
- Rapid heartbeat
- Skin conditions
Grounds For a Medical Malpractice Claim
Prescription medication errors are unacceptable. These types of mistakes should never happen. Unfortunately, since they continue to be a major cause for concern across Oregon and the entire nation, someone has to be brave enough to stand up and hold these negligent parties accountable for their mistakes. However, understanding whether you have the right to pursue a claim can be difficult at best.
You may not even know whether you are a victim of a medical mistake. You may chalk up your symptoms and experience to side effects associated with your healthcare provider’s treatment regimen. For this reason, it is imperative to consult a respected Lake Oswego medication error attorney to get answers. If you have reason to believe a healthcare provider or medical professional’s negligence may have contributed to your worsening condition, our team may be able to help you prove it.
The grounds for a claim are in negligence. We must be able to show that the medical professional or organization in question failed to uphold the medical standard of care. As described under ORS § 677.095, if these parties made decisions that other reasonable healthcare providers or medical professionals would not have made, the medical standard of care may have been breached.
We must also be able to show that the breach in the medical standard of care was the cause of your condition. This can be challenging, as we will need to link your injury or illness to the prescription medication mistake in question. We may need to enlist the services of expert medical professionals, forensic analysts, and other experts who can demonstrate the link between the breach in the medical standard of care to your worsening condition.
Liability for Medication Errors in Lake Oswego
Several parties could share responsibility for the medication errors made in your case. How your medication errors occurred will determine who should be sued. For example, if a pharmacist fills your prescription with the wrong dosage of a particular medication, you may have grounds for a claim against the pharmacist and the pharmacy that employs them.
If your doctor fails to check for adverse drug interactions before prescribing a particular medication, your physician may be liable. Similarly, if nursing staff administered the medication, not only could the nurse be held accountable, but so could the hospital that employs them.
Our firm will do everything possible to ensure prescription drug manufacturers, pharmacists, healthcare providers, and other liable medical professionals are compelled to compensate you for your damages in full. This may be one of our only opportunities to ensure these parties are brought to justice.
How Medication Error Malpractice Claims Work
Be prepared to take advantage of every possible opportunity to recover compensation for your damages. Although going to trial may overwhelm you, exploring all avenues for financial relief may be the best way to ensure you have access to the funds you need to truly rebuild your life.
Malpractice Insurance
Most healthcare providers, hospitals, pharmacies, and drug manufacturers have insurance coverage in place. If a medication error causes you serious injury or illness, filing a claim against their malpractice insurance coverage may be one of the best ways to recoup a sizable portion of your losses.
The amount of malpractice coverage the policyholder carries will determine how much compensation you can recover. This means there may be residual damages the insurance company is not required to pay for if your losses exceed the policyholder’s policy limits. Fortunately, you do not need to rely on a malpractice insurance settlement alone.
Medical Malpractice Lawsuits
When the liable party is uninsured or does not have enough malpractice insurance coverage to meet the full value of your damages, filing a medical malpractice lawsuit may be necessary. Even if we get the insurance company to offer a settlement for policy limits, you may have an excess of damages the insurer does not offer compensation for.
Thankfully, when you file a medical malpractice lawsuit in civil court, you can demand total compensation for your compensatory damages. Oregon does not have a cap on the amount of compensation that can be awarded in a medical malpractice claim. However, there is a $500,000 cap on non-economic damages awarded in wrongful death claims. If your loved one passed away due to a medication error, a Lake Oswego wrongful death attorney from Paulson Coletti Trial Attorneys PC may be able to help you through these devastating times.
Victims of Medication Errors Should Be Compensated Fairly
Every single way your life has been impacted by this medication mistake should be taken into consideration when determining the value of your insurance and civil claims. Our team will carefully consider not only your current damages but your future losses as well to ensure you receive the fair compensation you deserve.
Economic Damages
Economic damages refer to financial losses. They can be easily proven or verified with bank statements and other financial records. Certain types of economic damages can be recovered through your medical malpractice insurance claim. For instance, the insurance company may provide you with compensation for your medical bills and loss of income. Other types of economic damages that may be available in medication error claims include:
- Increased health insurance costs
- Loss of household services
- Medical devices and equipment
- Future medical bills
- Medical transportation expenses
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages often need a more thorough evaluation. This is because they are intangible. Every person experiences non-economic damages to varying degrees. Some examples of non-economic damages that could be recovered in your medication errors lawsuit include:
- Pain and suffering
- Disfigurement and skin scarring
- Reduced quality of life
- Loss of consortium
- Emotional distress
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are possible in medication error cases, but they are a rare occurrence in medical malpractice claims. This is because, as described under ORS § 31.740, punitive damages typically cannot be awarded against health practitioners if they are certified, registered, or licensed as any of the following:
- Audiologist
- Chiropractors
- Dental hygienists
- Dentists
- Denturists
- Emergency medical services providers
- Marriage and family therapists
- Massage therapists
- Medical imaging licensees
- Naturopaths
- Nurses
- Nurse practitioners
- Occupational therapists
- Optometrists
- Pharmacists
- Physical therapists
- Physicians
- Physician’s assistants
- Professional counselors
- Psychologists
- Regulated social workers
- Speech-language pathologists
File Your Medication Error Lawsuit Before Time Runs Out
The sooner you get started on your medical malpractice lawsuit, the better. The statute of limitations is already counting down. Generally, the statute of limitations for medical malpractice lawsuits is the same as the deadline for personal injury claims. You will have two years from the date the incident occurred or two years from the date you discovered or should have discovered the medication error, according to ORS § 12.110(1).
If you miss the claim filing deadline, you may lose your opportunity to demand justice in court. However, when you have a dedicated medication error lawyer in Lake Oswego working for you, you do not need to worry about the statute of limitations adversely impacting your ability to fight for the compensation you deserve.
Contact Our Lake Oswego Medication Error Lawyers for Help Today
Although you may feel intimidated or overwhelmed at the thought of pursuing a medical malpractice claim, with the support of a highly experienced medication error attorney in Lake Oswego from Paulson Coletti Trial Attorneys PC, you can focus on recuperating while we handle the legalities.
Discuss the value of your claim and who could be sued in your malpractice lawsuit and insurance claims when you contact us to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation. You can reach us by phone at (503) 226-6361 or through our confidential contact form to get started as soon as today.