When Illinois residents go to the emergency room in pain, they most likely expect doctors to figure out what is causing it and recommend a course of treatment or procedure to rectify the problem. When a procedure is not done properly, a patient can suffer irreparable damage. Patients are entitled to receive a certain standard of care, but mistakes can happen due to doctor and hospital negligence.
An out-of-state man claims that negligence left him with persistent tinnitus (buzzing or ringing of the ears) and partial loss of hearing in his left ear. He had gone into the emergency room because his left ear was in pain. After an examination, the doctor determined that the buildup of earwax was causing the pain.
The Texas doctor irrigated his ear with water in an attempt to clear out the blockage. The man claims that pressure from too much water tore his tympanic membrane. Doctors told him that in order to fix the problem, he would have to undergo a surgical procedure. He claims that these procedures led to his permanent injuries. The court will have to determine whether his allegations are correct.
Illinois patients are at just as much risk of being victims of botched procedures as this man claims to have been. Anyone who believes that an improperly performed procedure led to permanent injury may be able to file a doctor and/or hospital negligence claim. The surviving family of a deceased victim may file a wrongful death claim on behalf of his or her legal estate. If the available evidence proves that a patient’s care was below acceptable medical standards, an award of damages may be granted, which could help cover current and future medical costs — or funeral expenses and other monetary losses in the case of death.
Source: setexasrecord.com, “Patient alleges UT-Galveston Medical Branch, doctor left him partially deaf“, Molly English-Bowers, Dec. 18, 2015