People seek medical attention for many common illnesses. Sometimes, surgery and other invasive procedures become necessary. Medical patients assume they will receive appropriate care, but mistakes could leave them with troubling complications. And then there are terrible incidents where a patient dies due to medical malpractice in an Idaho health care facility.
Wrongful deaths in the family
When a family member unexpectedly dies while undergoing medical care, the surviving relatives may deal with a terrible shock. Regardless, survivors may need to take legal action when suspecting medical malpractice played a role. Hiring a private pathologist to perform an autopsy may be one challenging step that becomes necessary. The autopsy might provide evidence suggesting medical malpractice caused the death.
Medical malpractice takes many forms. Malpractice might involve negligent actions, such as administering the wrong medication, or there could be errors of omission, including not providing medicines at a critical time. Ultimately, medical malpractice involves some wrongdoing that inflicts harm. Families who lose relatives may seek compensation due to the death’s impact.
Compensation for medical malpractice
Losing a loved one may result in a family suffering significant financial losses. When the deceased’s contribution to the family’s care goes away, a family could face bankruptcy. Filing a wrongful death claim may provide a way to recover those losses and avoid financial devastation.
Litigants could seek compensation for loss of consortium and other damages. Punitive damages may seem warranted depending on how egregious the situation is.
Physicians and others in the health care industry may carry enough medical malpractice insurance to cover the family’s losses. An insurance settlement could eliminate the need for litigation. That said, settlement negotiations might prove to be fruitless.