WOMEN WHO TRUST THEIR HEALTH AND THEIR CHILD’S HEALTH TO THEIR OBSTETRICIANS AND GYNECOLOGISTS (OB/GYN) CAN BE SERIOUSLY HARMED IF MALPRACTICE ENTERS THE PICTURE.
There are numerous areas where mistakes can be made, and even well-trained and well-meaning physicians can cause damage due to negligence or lack of judgment. For example, misdiagnosing or failure to recognize symptoms of cancer, other disease, or prenatal problems can result in permanent damage to babies and their mothers, or even lead to death.
Ob/gyn doctors are among the medical specialists most likely to be involved in a medical malpractice lawsuit. A 2015 survey by Medscape showed that 85 percent of ob/gyn doctors had been accused.
If you, your spouse, or your child has suffered injury due to negligent care from an obstetrician, gynecologist, hospital, or medical facility, you may be entitled to compensation. Pennsylvania gynecological and obstetrical injury attorney Cliff Rieders of Rieders, Travis, Dohrmann, Mowrey, Humphrey & Waters has spent decades honing his skills and successfully representing families who have suffered an injury due to negligence and malpractice by medical professionals and hospitals. Our deep sense of compassion and loyalty to each client drives us to pursue each claim vigorously to get you the compensation you deserve.
Gynecological cases and women’s health issues require special sensitivity, and medical malpractice law is highly regulated by a complex body of rules. Our firm offers a free consultation to examine the facts of your individual situation and determine the best way to proceed with your case. Contact us if you even suspect your injury or your child’s injury or death was due to medical negligence.
What is Negligence?
Obstetricians and gynecologists must perform medical procedures on patients, including diagnostic tests, laparoscopic procedures and care during a pregnancy and delivery of a baby, according to the accepted standard of care for physicians in their field. During the labor and delivery process, both mother and child must be monitored for signs of distress and complications. When this is not done properly, the mother can sustain serious injuries such as uterine rupture, lacerations, bleeding, and death. The baby may suffer a neurological injury and/or seizures. When injuries to mother and baby occur during labor and delivery, or injuries occur during diagnostic tests and procedures the professional may have been negligent.
However, obstetricians and gynecologists are held to high standards and have a duty to exercise reasonable care for the safety of both mother and child, according to the accepted standard for other professionals in their field. If proper procedures are not followed and damage results, the ob/gyn may be found negligent and liable for any resulting harm.
In any lawsuit, you must be able to show that your injury occurred because of the negligent actions or inactions taken by medical professionals. Also, Pennsylvania, law considers contributory negligence. Any damages you may have sustained are reduced if you have done something to contribute to the problem — for example, if you have gone against medical advice.
Types Of Gynecologist/Obstetrician Mistakes
The following are common mistakes made by ob/gyns that lead to injuries or death:
- Failing to order breast exams and mammograms, reading mammograms incorrectly, or failing to follow up on ambiguous mammogram results with ultrasound and biopsy. This can delay diagnosis of breast cancer and increase risk of death
- Failure to order and properly perform pap smears and other tests
- Failure to diagnose cancer
- Negligence in treating endometriosis or fibroid tumors
- Laparoscopic surgery errors that can nick or sever an organ, such as the colon, ureters or bladder
- Improper management of prenatal care during pregnancy
- Failure to detect an ectopic or tubal pregnancy
- Failure to follow proper safety procedures, such as checklists, resulting in a mistake like leaving a sponge or instrument in the surgical site
- Negligence during labor and delivery, resulting in birth injury
- Failure to note and deal with fetal distress, including failure to properly perform a C-section in a timely manner
- Failure to detect and respond to an umbilical cord around the fetus’s neck, breech presentation of the fetus, and/or placental complications
- Causing uterine rupture by improperly applying pressure to the mother’s abdomen or improperly using drugs such as Pitocin
- Failure to recognize and manage preeclampsia or eclampsia (toxemia), which can lead to seizures
- Failure to deal properly with multiple births or with premature births
- Failure to detect fetal malformations.
Should injury or death occur from these kinds of mistakes, it is likely that medical malpractice is involved. Mistakes can mean a lifetime of medical care and ongoing medical expenses. If a doctor’s negligence caused the problem, the doctor’s malpractice insurance should provide compensation to cover the costs of medical expenses and lost income, as well as non-economic damages for pain and suffering.
Pennsylvania does not cap the compensation that a court may award for compensatory and non-economic damages. However, to win your case, your attorney would need to prove that your medical professional breached the duty of care and that this breach caused the injury or death.
Trust Our Firm for Honest Answers
If you, your child, or a loved one has been injured by ob/gyn negligence in Pennsylvania, let us review the circumstances and determine whether you are eligible for financial damages. We have the resources and experience required to analyze these complex cases and determine whether malpractice occurred.
In the gynecological area, we handle cases involving everything from breast and cervical cancer diagnosis to negligent injuries during surgeries such as hysterectomies. Women’s health care is often neglected, and we make a special effort to explain the facts and circumstances so you may fully appreciate what the legal system has to offer.
Medical malpractice law is highly regulated by a complex body of rules. Whether in settlement negotiations or pursuing a favorable trial verdict, experienced attorney Cliff Rieders is familiar with the law and thoroughly prepared and committed to achieving a just outcome. With our sizeable staff, we offer strength in numbers while providing top-notch personal service.
If you or your loved one has suffered from labor and delivery injury, do not delay. The statute of limitations in Pennsylvania for most medical malpractice cases is two years. Consult our attorneys today by calling 1-877-962-9411 for a free consultation, or use our online contact form.
Based in Williamsport, we serve clients throughout the state of Pennsylvania, offering a free consultation on all injury matters. More than that, we offer you experience, knowledge, compassion, and a long history of results.