Maryland Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog
Anyone who rides a motorcycle, scooter or even a bicycle in traffic probably knows the dangers to which they are exposing themselves. This is not to say that people don’t have the right to do the things that please them, within the law, but the risk factors for bikers can be quite numerous. The point we’d like to make here, as Maryland personal injury lawyers, is that being involved in a collision with another motor vehicle, such as a car, bus or commercial delivery vehicle, is just the beginning of what can be a painful and long recovery period.
Many motorcycle riders in Baltimore, Annapolis, Rockville or The District see the carnage of traffic accidents every week. For those who commute on their mounts, the chances of a fatal crash can be very high. And although more people survive traffic accidents than perish in them, bikers can find themselves teetering on the edge of life and death following a bad traffic wreck.
Never mind the obvious pitfalls of actually being maimed in a motorcycle or automobile collision, take a moment to consider the dangers that lurk within the hospital itself. After a serious crash, critically injured victims can be brought in for treatment of a range of injuries. Closed-head trauma, spinal cord damage and internal injuries are just a few of the many and varied bodily injuries that can beset a rider following a traffic collision.
Once in the hospital, however, more dangers exist. One of the greatest is that of medical error. Whether through a simple mistake, omitted drug or treatment information, or out-right incompetency, a patient can find himself in worse shape after a week in the hospital than those initial painful moments following the initial traffic accident.
It’s well known that tens of thousands of people every month die from negligence in a hospital setting or from medical malpractice itself. Hundreds of thousands of “lucky” victims do not die, yet are still seriously injured due to errors made by doctors, nurses, surgeons and other healthcare professionals in hospitals, rehab units, nursing homes and residential care facilities.
It is the pinnacle of misfortune that a motorcycle rider, having survived a life-threatening roadway collisions should be thrust into another, equally life-threatening medical situation through the negligence of one who has sworn to heal and do no harm. Yet, despite the thousands of malpractice cases making their way through courts all over our country every month, people continue to suffer injury and death at the hands of medical workers.
Malpractice can take many forms. The major categories include surgical error, diagnostic delay, trauma or injury during birth, leaving a foreign object (such as a medical clamp or other device inside the patient), improper prescription, error in administering medication, and anesthesia error.
It has been shown that the impact of medical malpractice litigation on general surgeons and other several specialty areas has resulted in some experts maintaining that doctors and other medical professionals should actually fight against malpractice lawsuits instead of quickly settling. In fact, some in the medical community believe that it is in the doctor’s best interest to fight a lawsuit.
To this end, we understand the need for proper representation in cases involving medical malpractice. Victims of negligent medical procedures or techniques should be careful to choose a qualified personal injury attorney who will best represent their interests in a court of law. This includes not only fighting in a courtroom setting, but also gathering evidence to support the victim’s claims against the doctor or hospital.
Doctors hardly ever have the sole authority to settle a case, since the malpractice insurance carrier will likely handle the expense of legal representation. An experienced malpractice attorney who understands the law and can evaluate the circumstances of the injury should be in a good position to counsel their client on the best course of action.