Arlington, Virginia Medical Malpractice Lawyer

What Are Common Types of Medical Malpractice in Arlington, Virginia?

The most common types of medical malpractice cases an Arlington personal injury lawyer will confront are as follows:

Surgical errors

• There are certainly fundamental risks in all surgeries making it important for surgeons to be skilled and prepared. But in cases where a patient’s injury is directly the result of a healthcare provider’s surgical mistakes, medical negligence could be to blame. Surgical errors can include anesthesia errors. Anesthesiologists are expected to administer the proper levels of anesthesia and closely monitor the patient’s vital signs during surgery. Anesthesia errors can have catastrophic results such as seizures, brain injury, or death. Some other common examples of surgical errors include nerve damage, leaving a piece of surgical equipment inside a patient, accidental incisions, and internal bleeding.

Diagnostic errors



• Diagnostic errors can include a missed, delayed, or incorrect diagnosis by your doctor or other medical professionals. According to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the top three missed or delayed diagnoses are colorectal cancer, lung cancer, and breast cancer:

  Missing or delaying these diagnoses can result in the failure of proper treatment causing unnecessary harm to a patient’s quality of life, or possibly death.

Birth injury

• Birth injuries to a baby can transpire both in and out of the womb during the process of childbirth with resulting injuries or long-term effects including fractured bones, Cerebral Palsy, Erb’s Palsy, and oxygen deprivation.

Medication errors

• Examples of medication errors include administering the wrong prescription or the wrong dose of medication, mislabeling medication, prescribing unsafe medication, and failure to warn about side effects from medication. Depending on the nature of the error, the consequences can sometimes be fatal.

Premature discharge from the hospital

• Not every early discharge from a hospital is negligent or warrants a medical malpractice claim. Sometimes, a patient would have passed away or became ill from their condition regardless of whether they stayed in the hospital or not. However, if further harm or death is a direct result of the premature discharge of a patient from a hospital, you could have a medical malpractice lawsuit.

Error in emergency rooms

• Emergency rooms are often busy and overcrowded, particularly in urban settings. Healthcare workers must gather a patient’s medical history, and triage people efficiently and thoroughly. Under pressure to treat and release patients to ensure that everyone is attended to, a medical provider might act negligently in various ways such as overlooking medical conditions, producing prescription errors, and engaging in subpar medical care.
• Pediatric patients are a population at an increased risk of emergency room error. According to a study from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP):
  • In a study by Gausche-Hill et al, hospital ED leaders in all US states and territories were asked to complete a comprehensive web-based assessment of their readiness to care for children. The response rate was 83% and represented more than 4000 EDs. Therefore, the data reveal a snapshot of the nation’s readiness to provide care to children in the ED as well as providing information on gaps in readiness at the state and national levels. One example of a potential safety concern was that a process to ensure that weights are measured and recorded in kilograms only was lacking in 32.3% of EDs completing the assessment. The data also revealed that only 45.1% of ED respondents reported having a quality improvement plan addressing the specific needs of children. Of those, 58.3% identified specific quality indicators for children; 88.1% collected and evaluated data, such as transfer, deaths, and return visits; 78.9% had a plan for addressing variances in care, such as the provision of education to staff; and 73.5% had evaluation and reevaluation processes for outcome-based measures, such as the relief of pain.

Long-Term Effects of Medical Malpractice

The Virginia medical malpractice attorneys here at Regan Zambri Long understand that the consequences of medical mistakes are often physically, emotionally, and financially devastating. Considering how staggering the impact of medical errors can be, injured parties or family members in Arlington, VA should seriously explore their options for pursuing compensation. We recognize this won’t reverse a medical professional’s negligence, but it can make it easier to cope with some of the effects of the negligence and allow for a focus on recovery.

Physical consequences

Physical consequences in medical malpractice claims may include:

• Further injury to a patient’s health because of a missed or delayed diagnosis
• Amputation of the wrong limb
• Permanent scarring from a botched surgery
• Emergency room errors causing delayed treatment

Emotional consequences

Emotional trauma resulting from medical malpractice may include:

• Depression
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Anxiety
• Suicidal thoughts

Financial consequences

Financial consequences of medical malpractice cases may include:

• Injuries requiring long-term treatment and around-the-clock care
• Medical bills
• Loss of income
• Diminished future wages

Is There a Statute of Limitations for Medical Malpractice in Arlington, Virginia?

Under § 8.01-243 of the Code of Virginia, in the state of Virginia, a two-year statute of limitations applies to most medical malpractice claims. This means that a medical malpractice case needs to be filed within a two-year period of time from the date of the injury. The law, however, allows for an extension of the two-year statute of limitations in specific circumstances.

Why Should You Consult with VA Medical Malpractice Lawyers?

Because of the particularities of the law, it’s best to consult with an Arlington, VA medical malpractice lawyer to be certain you’re within the proper timeframe to initiate your medical malpractice claim. If you contact the law offices of Regan Zambri Long for a free consultation today, we will guarantee that you speak with an experienced Virginia medical malpractice lawyer who will:

• Help guide you through the timelines;
• Be your navigator through the paperwork and the insurance companies;
• Handle the negotiations;
• Serve as your zealous advocate; and
• Fight on your behalf

It is key to hire an experienced medical malpractice attorney who understands how to successfully handle cases in the same wheelhouse as yours. Skilled malpractice lawyers in Arlington will know how to investigate the details of your case to prove negligence at the hands of the healthcare professionals responsible for your injuries. We know that if you are experiencing emotional trauma, physical impairment, loss of income, a deluge of medical bills, and other expenses resulting from medical negligence, you deserve compensation to help lighten your load and to bring you some peace. Please contact Regan Zambri Long and let us help you receive the maximum compensation for your claim that you deserve.