The DC Department of Health recently released a report, making clear that medical errors are killing more DC residents than all types of car and truck accidents combined. Per the February, 2010 report, “The leading causes of preventable death in the District of Columbia…were tobacco use (estimated 860 deaths; 16.6 percent of total DC resident deaths), poor diet and physical inactivity (estimated 780 deaths; 15.1 percent), microbial (infectious) agents—excluding HIV—(estimated 240 deaths; 4.6 percent), alcohol consumption (estimated 150 deaths; 2.9 percent), firearms (estimated 140; 2.7 percent), and medical errors (estimated 140 deaths; 2.7 percent).
According to the comprehensive study and report, motor vehicle accidents account for .6% of the overall deaths in DC–that’s 4.5 times less than the deaths caused by preventable medical errors.
The complete report can be viewed by clicking here.
There is a lot of discussion in politics about “tort reform”. The term–”tort reform”–is actually a misnomer, and is better understood as “tort deform”. Some powerful business groups and industries wish to strip Americans of their rights and their access to justice when injured due to medical errors. Instead of robbing Americans of their fundamental rights and compensating them for the devastating damages they incur as a result of medical negligence, the focus should be on preventing the medical errors in the first place. That’s true reform.
About the author:
Mr. Zambri is a Past-President of the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. and has been rated by Washingtonian magazine as a “Big Gun” and among the “top 1%” of all lawyers in the Washington metropolitan area. The magazine also describes him as “one of Washington’s best–most honest and effective lawyers” who specializes in medical malpractice matters, product liability claims, and serious automobile accident claims. Mr. Zambri has also been repeatedly named a “Super Lawyer” by Law and Politics magazine–a national publication that honors the top lawyers in America.
Mr. Zambri is regularly asked to present seminars to lawyers and doctors, as well as both medical and law students concerning medication errors, medical malpractice litigation, and safety improvements.
Mr. Zambri was sought after to publish a chapter regarding product liability litigation in Aspatore Books – a company that is touted as “the largest and most exclusive publisher of C-1 Level executives (CEO, CFO, CTO, CMO, Partner) from the world’s most respected companies and law firms.” To read Mr. Zambri’s publication, entitled “Constantly Preparing To Win”, please click here.
If you have any questions about your legal rights, please email Mr. Zambri at [email protected] or call him at 202-822-1899.