Brunswick Medical Malpractice Attorney
Legal duty, which is basically respecting the health and safety rights of other people, is a key principle in an injury claim. For example, most commercial drivers have a duty of utmost care. They must take affirmative steps to transport people safely. Doctors and other medical professionals usually have a fiduciary of care. They must set aside all other priorities and only do what is best for their patients. A fiduciary duty, which also applies to accountants and a few other professionals, is the highest duty of care in Georgia law.
At Gillette Law, our dedicated Brunswick medical malpractice attorneys have a fiduciary duty toward firm clients. We are proud to ignore all other priorities, like making money or professional advancement, and focus exclusively on maximum compensation for your serious injuries. We have a similar dedication to our community. When we help victims, that’s our way of making Glynn County a better place to live for everyone.
Birth Injuries
Very few things transform intense joy to intense sadness faster or more completely than a serious birth injury. SD (Shoulder Dystocia) emergencies often cause such injuries. If the baby’s shoulders lodge in the mother’s birth canal, the umbilical cord could cut off oxygen to the baby’s brain.
Brain damage begins in as little as five minutes. Since the clock is ticking, doctors sometimes get desperate. Like many of us, when they get desperate, they sometimes make bad choices. These bad choices usually include risky birth aids, such as:
- Vacuum Extractor: The doctor attaches a metal cup to the baby’s head and uses a vacuum to try and literally suck the baby out of the mother. This harsh intervention often causes permanent head and other injuries.
- Episiotomy: Incisions on the mother’s perineum (area between the anus and genitals) could widen her birth canal. More likely, however, they could cause uncontrollable bleeding in the delivery room and intense pain later.
- Forceps: This contraption resembles a giant pair of salad tongs. Doctors grasp babies’ heads and try to pull them out of their mothers. Desperate doctors have used forceps for centuries. These episodes rarely have happy endings.
Frequently in these cases, doctors tell parents that there were “some complications” during delivery but that everything is fine now. A few weeks or months later as the child’s development lags, it becomes clear that not everything is fine.
Misdiagnosis
The aforementioned duty of care requires doctors to promptly and accurately diagnose patients. But many doctors don’t listen to their patients describe their symptoms and/or they fail to order a full array of diagnostic tests. Some misdiagnosis examples include:
- Head Injuries: Many doctors mistake symptoms like confusion and disorientation for accident-related shock. Therefore, head injury victims often don’t get proper treatment until their conditions are much worse.
- Cancer: The cancer misdiagnosis rate may be twice as high as the overall misdiagnosis rate, according to some observers. Many doctors view cancer as a genetic or lifestyle disease. They do not consider this illness unless the patient fits a certain profile.
The overall misdiagnosis rate is about 20 percent. In high school, 80 percent accuracy is a passing grade. But for doctors, an 80 percent accuracy rate is well below what the law requires.
Contact a Savvy Glynn County Medical Malpractice Lawyer
All serious injury victims are entitled to fair compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced Brunswick medical malpractice attorney, contact Gillette Law, P.A. Virtual, home, and hospital visits are available.
