Ambulance Injury Attorneys in Florida
In 2016, nearly 12,000 people across the state of Florida had to stay in the hospital due to drug poisoning. Over 71,000 people took a fall and had to go to the hospital for one or more broken bones.
In that same year, Florida had the first law enforcement agency begin carrying Naloxone, also known as Narcan, a common treatment for drug overdoses.
Each of these situations poses a potential risk for ambulance injuries. While emergency responders are relied upon to provide immediate medical attention for a wide variety of personal injuries, mistakes that these responders make can have severe, long-lasting consequences.
Someone who is having an epileptic seizure, for instance, might be mistaken for an overdose victim and administered the wrong treatment. Broken bones can be made worse when mishandled or jostled within an ambulance.
When an emergency responder has made a mistake or acted negligently in your care, you could be faced with devastating symptoms and long-term costs. Don’t face these consequences on your own. Let the experienced ambulance injury attorneys at Accident Attorney Group, P.A., provide the skilled legal representation that you need.
What Kinds of Personal Injuries Can Happen in an Ambulance?
A personal injury occurs when someone is harmed due to the wrongdoing of another party. Medical malpractice is a type of personal injury in which a medical professional makes a mistake and causes harm.
Ambulance injuries happen for multiple reasons. However, the most common causes are medical malpractice and automotive accidents. Regardless of which factors caused your specific ambulance injury, there are economic and non-economic damages that you might need to pursue with the help of an experienced personal injury attorney.
Economic Damages for Ambulance Injuries
Economic damages represent direct financial consequences. These can include factors like:
- Ambulance transportation costs
- Emergency medical treatment
- Medical tests, scans, and X-rays
- Surgeries
- Medications and prescriptions
- Medical devices like slings or crutches
- Ongoing rehabilitation care
- Missed time at work
These are all examples of economic damages that can occur with an ambulance injury.
If you or a loved one is injured in an ambulance, whether from an automotive accident or negligent care, you have rights. Speak to an ambulance injury attorney and pursue justice for the harm caused.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages represent harm done that doesn’t come with a clear price tag. Common examples of non-economic damages after an ambulance injury include:
- Lingering pain and suffering
- Disfigurement or scarring
- Psychological trauma
- Depression, fear, and anxiety
- Lifestyle changes
- Relationship changes
- Career changes
Suppose that a person was being transported via ambulance after a car crash in which their leg was broken. Emergency personnel failed to adequately splint the broken bone before loading them onto the stretcher. When the ambulance hit a pothole, the individual’s leg was jostled significantly, causing a small fracture to worsen into a larger break.
In this example, the emergency responder failed to take the necessary and reasonable steps required to deliver adequate care. If the individual was faced with expensive surgery to put in plates and pins for the more severe fracture, that would represent an economic damage.
If the individual in this scenario had their leg amputated as a result of negligent care, they may have to change jobs, but they might also lose the ability to take walks with their spouse due to significant pain. While this kind of pain may not have a medical bill that outlines it’s worth, victims should be adequately compensated when negligent behavior causes them harm.
What is Medical Malpractice?
Medical malpractice occurs when a medical provider fails to administer care in a reasonable and responsible way.
EMTs are operating in emergency situations. If a patient is unresponsive, they may not be able to gather necessary information, such as a person’s medical history.. A medical malpractice lawsuit is only viable if the mistake was due to carelessness, negligence, or ineptitude.
Medical mistakes can happen in ambulances, hospitals, clinics, urgent care centers, and at your doctor’s office. When medical professionals prescribe the wrong medication, or make a mistake in the dosage prescribed, these are examples of malpractice.
Medical malpractice can cause minor problems such as a rash or swelling or major consequences such as coma or death.
If you’ve been harmed because of the negligent care of an emergency responder in Florida, you should have to face the consequences all on your own. Turn to the experienced legal professionals at Accident Injury Group, P.A., to fight for the compensation you deserve.
How an Ambulance Injury Attorney Helps
An ambulance injury attorney specializes in helping victims harmed in the course of emergency medical care. Whether the injuries are caused by malpractice or car accidents, the damages are real.
After an ambulance injury, victims are often too distraught or too injured to think about doing things like collecting evidence. And if the recovery period is extensive, they may not have the time, energy, or knowledge about how to proceed with legal issues. Fortunately, the skilled personal injury attorneys at Accident Attorney Group, P.A. are here to help.
Ambulance injury attorneys will collect all of the evidence pertinent to your case. They’ll speak with witnesses, police officers who may have been on the scene, and medical experts to determine how your injuries may have been affected by the care you received.
Personal injury attorneys can also help to gather photos of the accident scene when applicable. They’ll gather your medical records as evidence, as well.
As the victim of the ambulance injury, you shouldn’t have to face the burdens of a legal claim all on your own. When you partner with the knowledgeable personal injury lawyers at Accident Attorney Group, P.A., we’ll review the facts of your case and help you to determine your next steps
Once you’ve discussed all of the details of the event, your attorney will explain what damages and compensation you might be owed and outline a comprehensive legal strategy.
If you or a loved one are faced with an ambulance injury, reach out to Accident Attorney Group, P.A. today to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation. You’ll pay no fees unless we win or settle your case.