People depend on hospitals during their time of medical need to provide treatment for their illnesses and injuries. When a hospital fails to meet its obligation to provide adequate and appropriate medical care, it can be held liable for the resulting damages and death of patients.
When Can a Hospital Be Held Accountable For Malpractice?
Hospital accidents and negligence happen when hospital personnel fail to meet the medical community’s standards while treating an individual, and the patient suffers an injury or death. In many instances, hospitals can be held liable for accidents and other types of malpractice under the doctrine of vicarious liability. If a patient suffered harm due to the action or inaction of a hospital employee, the hospital could be held responsible for the employee’s mistakes, errors, or negligence.
Hospitals can be held liable for the wrongful actions of:
- Physicians
- Nurses
- Surgeons
- Anesthesiologists
- Therapists
- Physician assistants
- And more
To bring a hospital negligence claim, the at-fault healthcare provider must be employed by the hospital or other medical facility and must have been engaging in a work-related task when the injury happened. Many physicians and surgical providers are hired as independent contractors, though, and are not officially employed by the medical facility or hospital in which they work. In this circumstance, the hospital may not be subject to liability and cannot be held liable for the healthcare professional’s negligence.
What is Duty of Care?
Hospitals have an obligation to ensure patients’ safety once they are admitted to their facility and receive treatment from hospital employees. The hospital or its personnel may breach its duty of care by failing to provide a patient with adequate and appropriate medical treatment. Or, the hospital might act in a manner that deviates from the medical community’s standards.
Causation is determined by examining whether the patient’s injuries are a direct result of the hospital or its personnel failing to uphold its duty of care. Patients may suffer financial losses as a result of the hospital’s or staff member’s lack of success in upholding their duty of care. Injured patients may need additional medical treatment to heal after a hospital accident, and the financial and emotional costs can pile up quickly.
How Can a Hospital Accident Legal Team Help Me?
It may be in your best interest to hire an experienced hospital accident lawyer to review the circumstances of your claim. He or she will help you determine if your situation resulted from an accident, error, or negligent treatment and if the hospital can be held responsible for your injury and monetary losses. Many times, bringing a claim against a medical facility is a complex and nuanced process that most victims can’t handle successfully on their own.
A hospital accident attorney can work to help you identify the responsible party and prove the hospital or medical facility where you received substandard treatment is liable for the accident or negligence. Hospital negligence lawyers are dedicated to helping victims obtain the justice and compensation they deserve for their harm. Contact a personal injury lawyer in Charlottesville, VA and set up a consultation today.
Thanks to MartinWren, P.C. for their insight into personal injury claims and hospital accidents.