Legal Question in Medical Malpractice in Ohio

Emergency Room Visit Gone Bad

Long story very short My husband was recently taken by ambulance to our local er. He had smashed his foot in between a fork lift and a pole. During his 5 hour er stay they did nothing for his foot except elevating it and letting it bleed out. He was given fluids thru an iv and pain meds. After 5 hours and 2 x-rays it was wrapped with about 6 inches thick ace bandage. I was told I would need to transport him nearly 30 miles to a foot specialist office, and that he was being discharged. They were nice enough to offer to map quest it for us. At time of discharge a nurse not the doctor-she had not been in since 2nd xray had him sign papers handed me prescriptions and xrays. She took out his iv's and asked me to get him dressed. When I went to put on my husbands jeans I noticed blood dripping from the very thick bandage. I then had to go out of his room and ask a nurse to please come in and look at it because there was no way I was going to leave the er with him bleeding like that. The nurse that had been in his room made a comment that he noted that my husband was not clotting yet they were telling us to leave. After I threated to contact an att. they decided to have the doc come there. He was in the hospital for a week.


Asked on 3/07/08, 6:22 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Howard Mishkind Mishkind Kuwlicki Law Co. L.P.A.

Re: Emergency Room Visit Gone Bad

What you experienced with your husband is inexcusable. I would report this incident to wwww.jcaho.org and the Ohio State Medical association. If you consult with an attorney the issue is going to be what impact did the emergency room delays and neglect have on your husband's medical condition. You do not describe what the outcome of the week long hospitalization was and whether he has any ongoing problems because of the delay in treating his injury. It may be that the injury itself was so serious that the delay in not properly treating him in the emergency room until you threatened to contact an attorney may not have changed his outcome. You will need to have an experienced medical negligence attorney evaluate the injury and his current condtion to advise you whether there is merit to a medical neglicence action. Having said that I would still suggest that you have the incident investigated and consider reporting the incident as described above. Good luck.

Read more
Answered on 3/08/08, 7:07 am


Related Questions & Answers

More Medical Malpractice Law questions and answers in Ohio