Hospitals throughout New York face liability for infections and injuries occurring during patient stays. Hospital negligence takes many forms, including inadequate monitoring, failure to follow proper sanitation protocols, medication administration errors, and inadequate staffing leading to patient neglect.
A substantial settlement compensated the families of two premature infants who became infected with RSV virus due to lax hand washing procedures by nursing staff at a New York hospital. The infections resulted in brain damage to both infants, requiring lifetime care. Another case involved a patient recovering from brain surgery who was not properly monitored or restrained, resulting in a fall that caused serious head injuries, destroying the beneficial effects of the surgery. That case settled for a substantial amount.
Hospital record-keeping failures create both patient safety risks and legal complications. Investigations by the New York Daily News revealed that New York City hospitals mishandled medical records in numerous documented cases. State officials issued 16 citations between 2004 and September 2008 for incomplete, altered, or missing medical records. One investigation at Bellevue Hospital found a patient lost his arm due to negligent acts of medical malpractice, then died months later from subsequent negligent care—cases where proper documentation might have prevented cascading errors.
Hospital pathology department errors have caused unnecessary surgeries and life-altering consequences. A substantial settlement compensated a woman who underwent an unnecessary hysterectomy after the hospital laboratory mislabeled biopsy slides with another patient's name, leading to a cancer diagnosis and surgery when no cancer existed. Another pathology error resulted in a substantial settlement when a breast biopsy was misinterpreted as benign, allowing cancer to spread to lymph nodes before an accurate diagnosis occurred approximately one year later.
Emergency Room Errors and Urgent Care Negligence
Emergency departments across New York handle time-sensitive medical situations where errors can rapidly escalate to catastrophic outcomes. Emergency room physicians and nurses face intense pressure but remain liable when departures from standard care cause patient harm.
A substantial settlement was obtained when emergency room personnel misdiagnosed aortic dissection using a portable x-ray machine, failed to perform a CT scan, and negligently administered heparin—a drug contraindicated for aortic dissection—causing the patient's death. The case required locating the only researcher in the United States who had quantified the distorting effects of portable X-ray machines to prove the misdiagnosis.
Emergency room diagnostic failures extend beyond imaging errors. An $880,000 verdict compensated a diabetic man who experienced severe ankle pain and was incorrectly diagnosed with arthritis and given Motrin. In reality, the patient suffered a severe infection requiring leg amputation due to delayed diagnosis and treatment. Another emergency room case resulted in a substantial settlement when hospital personnel incorrectly diagnosed a patient's condition as related to cigarette smoking rather than bacterial endocarditis, ultimately necessitating amputation of both arms and both legs. Learn more by visiting the Queens New York medical malpractice law firm
Jonathan C. Reiter Law Firm, PLLC
Manhattan Office: Empire State Building, 350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 6400, New York, NY 10118
Bronx Office: 901 Sheridan Avenue, New York, NY 10451
Phone: (212) 736-0979
Bronx Phone: (718) 590-4009
Prior results cannot and do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future case. Recoveries always depend upon the facts and circumstances of each case, the injuries suffered, damages incurred, and the responsibility of those involved.