Receiving proper and adequate medical treatment is dependent upon many factors. Doctors must conduct thorough examinations, consult a patient’s personal and familial medical history, and accurately diagnose a patient’s condition. When a doctor fails in any of these areas, serious injuries or death may result. Massachusetts residents who are harmed by a doctor error should act on their legal rights.
One woman is doing just that after doctors failed to timely diagnose her with breast cancer. According to her lawsuit, doctors performed several mammograms and ultrasounds of her left breast, but failed to detect a growing mass. She further claims doctors should have biopsied the mass in a timely manner, which would have led to a quicker diagnosis. Instead, the woman now faces an aggressive form of the cancer. She seeks damages for multiple forms of harm including pain and suffering, disability and disfigurement.
A doctor’s failure to diagnose an illness can be devastating for a patient. It may lead to a worsened medical condition and, in some instances, a reduced chance of survival. The physical and emotional harm caused in these cases can be enormous, but can be made even worse by the financial implications of the doctor’s negligence. The victim may be subject to further, extensive medical treatment and may be rendered unable to work.
A victim can seek to recover these losses through a medical malpractice lawsuit. An attorney can serve as an advocate in the attempt to prove negligence and causation beyond a preponderance of the evidence. If this is done satisfactorily, then compensation may be awarded to the victim. This money can then be used to pay medical expenses, cover lost wages, and ease pain and suffering.
While many of these cases go to trial, a Massachusetts attorney can also be helpful in negotiating a settlement. This may save the victim the time and heartache involved with going to trial, allowing him or her to get on with life quicker. In either situation, however, a medical malpractice victim should consider speaking with a lawyer to learn of his or her legal rights and how they can be acted upon.
Source: The Madison-St. Clair Record, “Woman sues doctors claiming they failed to timely diagnose breast cancer,” Kelly Holleran, Dec. 30, 2013
