A misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis becomes malpractice if the delay caused the patient’s condition to worsen significantly, resulting in a more difficult treatment, permanent injury, or a lower chance of survival. This is legally known as the “Loss of Chance” doctrine. If the delay turned a treatable Stage I condition into a terminal Stage IV crisis, the doctor is liable for the harm caused by that lost time.
In the high-pressure environment of an Emergency Room, the difference between life and death often comes down to a single decision: the decision to test or the decision to discharge. For a 36-year-old man from Indiana County, that decision was fatal. He presented to a local hospital with the classic warning signs of a vascular catastrophe, yet he was sent home with a misdiagnosis of a minor ailment. Hours later, he was gone, leaving behind a mother for whom he was the entire world.
Recovering from a hysterectomy is supposed to be the start of a healthier chapter in your life, free from the pain or bleeding that necessitated the surgery in the first place. You expect some soreness and fatigue, but you do not expect to be constantly wet, leaking fluid that you can’t control, or suffering from unexplained, severe back pain.
It is a terrifying scenario that plays out in living rooms across Pennsylvania far too often. Your loved one was treated in the Emergency Room or underwent surgery. The doctors said everything went well. They signed the discharge papers, handed you a packet of instructions, and sent you home. But within 24 to 48 hours, something changes. They become hot to the touch. They start shivering. But most alarmingly, they aren’t making sense. Maybe they don’t know where they are, they are slurring their speech, or they are excessively sleepy and hard to wake.
Many clients come to us not only looking for accountability, but also hoping that by pursuing a lawsuit, they can help prevent the same harm from happening to someone else. It’s one of the most important and compassionate reasons to take legal action. But after a lawsuit is filed, do doctors and hospitals really learn from their mistakes? The answer is: sometimes yes – but not always.
For many people considering legal action after a devastating medical error, one question looms large: “If I file a medical malpractice lawsuit, will the doctor lose their license?” It’s a fair and thoughtful question. Let’s unpack why that is – and what really happens when you file a malpractice case in Pennsylvania or anywhere else in the U.S.
In the complex world of modern healthcare, patient safety often relies on a delicate chain of communication. When that chain breaks—when a “systems failure” occurs—the results can be devastating. This is the story of a 63-year-old grandmother from Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania whose delayed cancer diagnosis stole her chance to prepare and say goodbye to her loved ones.
For a young couple from Pittsburgh, the birth of their third child was supposed to be as joyous and uncomplicated as their first two. Sarah’s previous pregnancies had been healthy, aside from a manageable condition called hydronephrosis, which required routine stent placement. But during a scheduled stent exchange procedure for their unborn son, a treatable complication was ignored, leading to catastrophic consequences.
In the high-stakes world of vascular surgery, time is tissue. When blood flow is cut off to a limb, a clock starts ticking. If a surgeon acts within that window, a leg can be saved. If they choose to “wait and see,” the result is often catastrophic. This is the story of a proud Vietnam veteran from a suburb south of Pittsburgh, whose routine knee surgery turned into a nightmare due to a vascular surgeon’s refusal to come to the hospital during a critical emergency.
For any expectant couple, the birth of a first child is a moment of unparalleled anticipation. It is the culmination of months of preparation, dreams, and the careful stewardship of a new life. For “Sarah” and “Michael,” a young couple from the Pittsburgh area, the pregnancy had been textbook perfect. However, what should have been the happiest day of their lives turned into a harrowing ordeal that would forever alter the trajectory of their family.
When “Emily,” a 44-year-old bank manager from Westmoreland County, went in for a routine microdiscectomy to relieve back pain, she expected a quick recovery and a return to her quiet, private life. Instead, a catastrophic surgical error left her fighting for her life on the operating table.
The difference between a “bad result” and a medical mistake lies in the Standard of Care. A bad result is often a known risk or complication that occurred despite the doctor doing everything correctly. A medical mistake (negligence) occurs when a healthcare provider deviates from accepted medical standards, causing a preventable injury or death.
