Seattle Medical Malpractice Law Blog

When most people in Washington State think about situations in which a person may not receive an appropriate level of medical care, they envision typical health care settings. Places like hospitals, doctor's offices, nursing homes and more are often the locations at which a medical professional may fail to provide the right care to a patient. In addition to locations like these, a jail is another place where people may need medical care and where it may not be properly delivered.

As reported by The Seattle Times, a man who was in custody at the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle experienced this first hand. Two years ago, while serving a sentence for assault, the man fell in the early morning hours at the jail. It was not until later that morning that he was seen by a medical person at the jail. Upon asking to be taken to a local hospital, not only was the man denied but he was made fun of by jail staff.

People in Washington State who believe they or their family member have been injured due to a medical error have reason to want to seek compensation. When a medical mistake or act of medical negligence leads to a person's death, that urge to be compensated can naturally be even greater. In seeking some form of compensation, some people might have choices as to where they pursue the legal action.

As reported recently by The Seattle Times, the family members of a famous pop singer who died from a drug overdose more than two years ago are facing these decisions today. At the heart of the matter is the performer's doctor. On one hand, the man has been accused of writing prescriptions for opioids to the singer's bodyguard despite knowing that the drugs were actually for the singer. Some reports indicate that the physician admitted to this while other reports indicate that he has disputed this.

Pregnancy is a time rife with anticipation and fears for soon-to-be parents. Most people take great steps prior to and during pregnancy to ensure the health of their children. These efforts could include losing weight, changing their diet, discontinuing medications, taking multivitamins and seeing a doctor regularly. The end goal of all of this work is to ensure the delivery of a healthy baby.

Sadly, sometimes things go wrong that are outside the control of the parents. This is why pregnancy, labor and delivery are all medical experiences that require expert medical care and advice. You rely on your doctor to make the right choices for you and your baby. Unfortunately, sometimes mistakes or negligence on the part of a medical practitioner can have lifelong consequences for your family.

For many people in Washington State, when they think about a medical error involving the failure to diagnose a condition, they think about diseases like cancer or heart disease. Certainly these conditions can go unidentified all too often but they are far from the only types of medical mistakes in which a physician did not appropriately diagnose a patient's problem.

Drug addiction is a health condition that also requires proper diagnosis in order to provide proper treatment to people. As reported by Vulture, the family of a famous pop artist has initiated a lawsuit indicating that the artist's drug addiction was not appropriately diagnosed.