Medication errors and dangerous drug interactions. Medical malpractice law is a very complex and niche subsection of personal injury law. Throughout the course of your medical care there are many opportunities for healthcare providers to make mistakes, including simple ones like providing the wrong medication. In fact, preventable medication errors impact over 7 million people each year in the United States.

Burger Law is a medical malpractice and personal injury law firm that has represented the injured in St. Louis and throughout Missouri and Illinois for over 30 years. If a healthcare provider harmed you because of a medication error, speak to an attorney today at (314) 500-HURT or fill out our online form for a free consultation.

Causes of Adverse Drug Reactions

Adverse drug events can occur at any point in your care and include medication errors and dangerous drug interactions often caused by:

Dosage Errors — A patient is administered too much (overdose) or too little of a drug.
Drug Interactions — A prescribed drug negatively interacts with another medication prescribed to the patient.
Wrong Medication — A physician can prescribe the wrong medication, a pharmacist can misread orders and nurses can mix up prescriptions and give patients the wrong medication.
Dangerous Side Effects — Patients should be adequately educated on the possible life-threatening side effects of medication so that they can seek help accordingly.
Allergic Reactions — Doctors and pharmacists should screen for a history of allergies before administering medication.

When a physician prescribes or a pharmacist dispenses medication, they must take into account the patient’s size, weight, allergies and the other medications or supplements prescribed to the patient. Not doing so can be considered medical malpractice.

I Was Hurt By a Dangerous Drug Interaction. What Are My Rights?

When a medication error occurs and causes extensive medical injury, you can file a lawsuit to recover for damages sustained as a result of the practitioner’s negligence. Medical malpractice lawsuits are notoriously difficult to win, but an experienced attorney will hold the wrongdoers accountable. It’s important to remember that you have rights under the law:

Right to Informed Consent — You have the right to be fully informed about the potential risks and side effects associated with any medication before you agree to take it. You also have the right to know of any alternative treatments and the potential consequences of not taking the drug.
Right to Quality Medical Care — As a patient, you have the right to receive competent and appropriate medical care, which is called the “standard of care.” When that standard of care is violated, you have a right to take legal action.
Right to File a Complaint — You have the right to file a complaint with the appropriate regulatory bodies or agencies, such as your country’s medical board or health department. Reporting adverse events can help ensure patient safety and potentially trigger investigations or warnings regarding the medication.
Right to Compensation — Any time someone injured you through no fault of your own, you have a right to seek compensation for your economic and non-economic damages. Medical malpractice cases are heavily defended, so you’ll need an experienced medical malpractice attorney to get you the full compensation you deserve.

Medical malpractice lawsuits are expensive and require extensive resources to pursue successfully. In order to successfully bring a medical malpractice claim, you must prove that a mistake was made and that it caused substantial injuries or damages. In the case of medication errors or dangerous drug interactions, the expert testimony of a chemist or pharmacist would be required to win your case.

When filing a lawsuit, you can seek to recover for past and future medical expenses, loss of earnings, lost wages, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life and pain and suffering. If the adverse drug event causes death, the family of the patient can file a wrongful death lawsuit.

Who Is Liable for My Medication Error?

To get compensation, you have to make a claim against the party that caused your injuries. That may include:

A physician who prescribed the wrong medication or dosage, did not take allergies or potential side-effects into account or failed to fully inform you of known risks.
A pharmacist if they give you the wrong drug, dosage or information.
A nurse or other party who administered medication that was either wrong or the wrong dosage.
A hospital or healthcare facility if there was a systemic issue, such as inadequate staffing.
A pharmaceutical company if there was a manufacturing defect or they failed to provide warnings about known risks.

Part of your medical malpractice lawyer’s job is to find all liable parties related to your injuries. When you hire Burger Law, we get to work investigating your case right away to hold every irresponsible person who hurt you accountable.

Missouri and Illinois Dangerous Drug Lawyers | Burger Law

Burger Law has been fighting back against negligent healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies for over 30 years. We’re currently taking cases against Accutane’s acne medication and EzriCare’s contaminated eye drops, but we’ll take on any case where you were harmed because of a medication error or dangerous drug.

If you or a loved one has been harmed because of a medication error, let us take on your legal claim so you can focus on healing. Call Burger Law today for a free consultation at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online. We will discuss the facts of your case and help you determine the legal options available to you. We work on a contingency basis. If you hire us, you do not owe us anything unless we win for you.