Northeast Ohio Drug Overdose Lawsuits
Over 1 million Americans are injured due to errors in medication administration each year, and over 50 percent of these errors result in serious injury or death.
Typical medication error cases involve the following:
- Overdoses
- Improper medication administration
- Administration of medication to the wrong patient
- Treating a medical condition with the wrong medication
- Administering a medication to a patient that they are known to be allergic to
- Improper combinations of medications known to cause adverse affects
- Treating a patient with an experimental drug without their informed consent
- Improper medication administration based upon a person's medical history
- Administration of pain medication or narcotics to intoxicated persons
Many Americans are at risk of being administered or prescribed improper medications since numerous individuals are on more than one prescription or over the counter medication. Hundreds of thousands of hospitalized patients incur drug administration related injuries each year leading to thousands of deaths.
Adverse reactions to medication errors can include:
- Death
- Permanent Disability
- Allergic Reactions
- Paralysis
- Heart Attack
- Exacerbated Conditions
- Seizures
- Brain Injuries
- Kidney or Liver Harm
- Anaphylactic Shock
Medication errors are typically caused by:
- Improper packaging or labeling
- Failure to review a patient's medical history or chart to identify allergies
- Failure to review a patient's medical history or chart to identify possible drug interactions with other prescriptions
- Defective or inadequate warnings by drug manufacturers
- Improper dosages
If you or a loved one has been harmed due to administration of an improper medication or the wrong dosage it is important to contact an experienced medication error lawyer immediately. It is sometimes difficult to identify the "at-fault" party, and contacting an attorney early on can help. Responsible parties can include physicians, nurses, emergency rooms, nursing homes, pharmacists, psychiatrists and drug manufacturers.
Medication errors can result in serious injury or death. Damages in these cases may include past and future medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering and loss of consortium. If you or a loved one has been harmed and you suspect that it may be as a result of medication error please contact one of our experienced Cleveland medical malpractice lawyers today.
