Malpractice?

[AcesandEights]

I'm going to try to make it to the doctor's office tomorrow before work. I'm going to tell him to cover the medical bills at the very least. If I get flak, then I will consult a lawyer. Something about the whole idea of suing just makes me feel unctuous, but I will if the fucker won't have the decency to fix this problem. Sounds like a good, level-headed plan. I would do some quick e-research first to make sure you're following procedures that will not hurt you after the fact, should you decide to obtain legal council and follow up in a more formal/legal manner. There must be some good information out there from patient advocacy groups. In any event, my best to your wife, Clang. It's a shame she needs pain management to begin with and now an additional issue to deal with, no less. My best wishes for a quick recovery.

[clanglee]

Good advice Aces. I am actually going to contact a lawyer tomorrow morning first to see if this is even a case worth pursuing. Then I will proceed from there. I made some calls to the doctor's office today and I got a bit of the runaround, so before I say anything else, I am going to check it out with the lawyer first.

[Yojimbo]

Good advice Aces. I am actually going to contact a lawyer tomorrow morning first to see if this is even a case worth pursuing. Then I will proceed from there. I made some calls to the doctor's office today and I got a bit of the runaround, so before I say anything else, I am going to check it out with the lawyer first. Wise move brother. It will not hurt anyone to at least check with a lawyer. You are a gentleman and obviously want to handle this in a civilized manner - not wishing to immediately cry foul and go the lawsuit route - which is admirable and shows a lot of self-restraint. At the very least, though, I think you and your wife should not have to pay anything out of pocket for this. Certainly it would appear, on the flipside, that your wife should be entitled to some compensation for her pain and suffering given that she went to the doctor for pain relief, not to further complicate her situation. Good luck to you and your wife - I really hope that everything turns out ok for her!

[clanglee]

Well here is a case VERY similar to my wife's situation that did not go well for the plaintiff. http://www.jvra.com/Verdict_Trak/article.aspx?id=133976 Although, in my wife's situation, I'm sure she wasn't moving around during the shot. In her situation, the accident happened because she is so small. Hmmm. And thanks everyone for their well wishes.

[Exatreides]

How large was this needle? I was under the impression from Combat medic training that it had to be at least 2/3ds the size of the Trachea in order to do that, but then again you said that she was quite small. Good thing it didn't develop into full tension pnumothorax, that's why you should always keep some good old 14g's around the house in case you ever have to decompress your loved ones

[clanglee]

She did have a pnumothorax, but I am not sure if it was full tnsion. I'll tell you what though, they popped that tube in her side with the quickness in the ER. Just as soon as the xrays showed her lung was collapsed. As for the needle, It couldn't have been that big. That's what bugs me. I guess the doc could have injected into the chest cavity without peircing the lung, thus decreasing the pressure between the lung and the chest cavity. I don't know. But I am coming away from all this realising just how frail the human body really is.

[clanglee]

So it turns out that this is actually a rather common problem as far as these things go, so a malpractice lawsuit would be unlikely. The lawyer I spoke to didn't exactly jump on the case. He didn't count it out, but it would all depend on my wife's recovery really. But I am still convinced that the doctor's office should cover the hospital expenses. I'll give them a call this week and see what can be done.

[C5NOTLD]

Talk to another attorney. Like anything, you have to shop around to find the good ones.

[kortick]

yea look for another lawyer, there are lots who wont take a case cuz the settlement isnt worth thier while but others can settle it quick and get whats fair for u without headaches. some lawyers are worthless. those are the type you hire when you WANT to go to jail.

[krakenslayer]

Is this your doctor?:

[clanglee]

bah, can't see the pic from work. sorry. check it out at home tonight. Yeah, I might call a lawyer in Charlotte as well just to see. Honestly tho, the more I look into and read about this situation, the less likely any legal action seems. Ahh well. . we shall see.

[krakenslayer]

bah, can't see the pic from work. sorry. check it out at home tonight. Yeah, I might call a lawyer in Charlotte as well just to see. Honestly tho, the more I look into and read about this situation, the less likely any legal action seems. Ahh well. . we shall see. Nevermind, it wasn't all that funny anyway. It's a pic of the crazy Dr. Merlin from Knightriders. If you've seen that movie, you'll know who I'm talking about.

[Skippy911sc]

Check this site out... http://www.expertlaw.com/ It has a forum where you can ask some questions of lawyers...I think some of them are lawyers???