Can Medical Malpractice Cause Catastrophic Injuries?

 Posted on March 24, 2025 in Medical Malpractice

Doctors have to complete years of schooling and training. Medical specialties like surgery and cardiology take even more time. Because of these requirements, patients expect their physicians to know how to address injuries, illnesses, and other medical issues. While most doctors meet high care standards, many can make mistakes. If medical errors happen due to negligence and they harm the patient, the at-fault provider can be held liable through a medical malpractice claim.

Medical negligence can cause minor injuries, but catastrophic injuries also occur from medical errors. Catastrophic injuries have significant long-lasting or permanent impacts on the victim’s life. They may also lead to death. Medical malpractice claims are complex, but a skilled Morris, IL personal injury attorney can handle yours effectively.

What Are Examples of Medical Negligence?

Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers are expected to provide the same level of care as another similarly qualified professional would in the same situation. Whether due to poor training, carelessness, short staffing, or another cause, common medical errors include:

• Misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis, and failure to diagnose

• Failing to monitor a patient’s condition

• Surgical errors that could include leaving surgical tools inside a patient’s body, operating on the wrong body part, or operating on the wrong patient

• Failing to perform the correct procedure promptly

• Medication errors, including prescribing or filling the wrong drug, wrong dosage, or errors in administering medications

The effects on the patient vary depending on the patient’s condition and type of error. Birth injuries, such as cerebral palsy, could occur because an obstetrician delayed a necessary C-section. Operating on the wrong body part not only fails to address the patient’s needs but can also cause severe complications and permanent disabilities. Healthcare-acquired infections can lead to permanent conditions and death.

Not every medical treatment is successful. You cannot file a medical malpractice claim solely because you did not see the best outcome. To qualify, medical negligence must have been the direct cause of the harm you suffered, and that harm must have caused related damages.

What Are Damages?

Personal injury and medical malpractice cases use the term damages in two ways. The catastrophic injury you suffered from medical negligence may require additional medical treatments and ongoing care. Your earning capacity could be affected, and your quality of life may also be impacted. Those losses are called damages.

When you file a medical malpractice claim, the money you could receive is also referred to as economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages reimburse your financial losses, while non-economic damages compensate for your intangible losses.

Your eligible damages and their amounts are based on case-specific factors, so everyone’s damages are different. One thing remains the same, however: the medical malpractice insurance carrier will probably fight against paying a reasonable amount for your claim. Your lawyer will build your case with solid supporting evidence and fight to help you secure as much compensation as you deserve.

Contact Our Respected Joliet, IL Medical Malpractice Lawyer Today

If a preventable medical error caused your catastrophic injury, call Carlson Law Group, P.C. at 815-710-3700 to speak with our knowledgeable Will County, IL personal injury attorney as soon as possible. We offer free case evaluations so you can learn more about how we can help.