The Western Pennsylvania woman never expected her 20th birthday celebration to end with the partial amputation of both her legs. It's a story to give you nightmares. Too much partying caused a young Uniontown, PA woman to drink herself unconscious while celebrating her 20th birthday with friends. The woman passed out with her legs tucked under her for some hours. She was taken to a Pittsburg hospital emergency room where doctors amputated both legs at the knee. Press reports said the woman has filed a malpractice suit against the hospital charging that her condition was not properly diagnosed and that hospital staff failed to make sufficient effort to restore circulation to her legs before amputating them. The hospital has declined to speak to the press.
This incident points out the potential difficulties of litigating medical malpractice claims in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia or any city in Pennsylvania. You can certainly identify with the young woman's anguish and anger at suffering such a horrific life-altering change, especially at such a young age. Proving whether or not medical malpractice occurred, however, takes astute investigation by an experienced Philadelphia medical malpractice attorney and his expert investigative staff.
Philadelphia medical malpractice occurs when a patient is injured as a result of a doctor's incorrect diagnosis or improper treatment of that patient's medical condition. Failure by Philadelphia physicians, Philadelphia hospitals or Philadelphia medical personnel to perform specific tests in order to make a complete and thorough patient evaluation, failure to prescribe a certain type of medication or failure to perform certain medical procedures are some of the issues that must be investigated to determine whether medical malpractice has occurred. Not every Philadelphia patient injury is the result of medical malpractice. Sometimes medical error is clearly evident, but in most cases complex medical issues must be carefully evaluated by Philadelphia personal injury lawyers with an expertise in Philadelphia medical malpractice litigation before it is possible to determine whether medical malpractice occurred.
