Types of Medical Negligence Cases

Types of Medical Negligence Cases We Handle In Arkansas

PROUDLY SERVING ALL OF ARKANSAS with offices in little rock, Mountain Home, & Texarkana

  • Failure to diagnose and treat acute subdural hematoma caused by acute head trauma.
  • Pediatric: Circumcision error causing partial removal of glans penis, urethral complications.
  • Failure to diagnose and treat retroperitoneal hematoma following interventional catheterization post arteriogram.
  • Failure to timely diagnose and treat stroke and follow stroke protocol to remediate dangerous stroke.
  • Traumatic nursing NGT insertion.
  • Wrongful death; nursing failure to monitor patient and record symptoms of bowel ischemia on CT Scan showing clot/embolus of superior mesenteric artery.
  • Overzealous orthopedic surgery and nerve injury.
  • Wrongful death; nursing failure to monitor and timely respond to code.
  • Retained foreign body; infection.
  • Birth injury, fetal demise.
  • Failure to timely diagnose and treat aspiration; aspiration pneumonia.
  • Improper delegation of medical authority for testing and monitoring.
  • Failure to properly diagnose and treat emergent pelvic and rectal injury following accident trauma.
  • Failure to treat peritonitis resulting in infection and life threatening sepsis.
  • Failure to fully diagnose and treat severe back pain, urinary retention and leg numbness and investigate acute nerve compression resulting in epidural abscess with permanent loss of neurological sensation.
  • Emergency Medical/Paramedic/Ambulance Service: Failure to fully assess, identify and appreciate signs of life in patient with treatable heart rhythm (failure to follow PEA protocol).
  • Anesthesia errors in the use and monitoring of propofol without sufficient pre-anesthesia screening of underlying cardiac pathology and other co-morbidities.
  • Emergency room/department: Failure to fully appreciate, monitor and treat significantly low levels of blood serum potassium while failing to obtain timely cardiology consultation before discharge and premature death.
  • Failure to monitor acute and severe and fatal seizure that went unnoticed and untreated by those professional tasked with providing monitoring services arranged in advance.
  • Lack of adequate monitoring and recognition or extravasation of calcium gluconate on very young patient.
  • Negligent failure to timely and appropriately read tissue slide resulting in late diagnosis of esophageal cancer (Barrett’s esophagus)
  • Barrett’s esophagus is associated with an increased risk of developing esophageal cancer.
  • Failure to appropriately triage and monitor medication induced psychosis resulting in injury to patient jumping from multistory hospital room while suffering delusional and confused thinking.
  • Failure to initiate and follow fall protection protocols causing acute subdural hematoma without proper Glasgow coma scale assessment and emergent craniotomy.

The above cases that were handled by the experienced medical negligence attorneys at the law firm of Collins, Collins & Ray can be classified as one of the following specific practice areas:

  • Abandonment of care
  • Delayed diagnoses
  • Misdiagnoses
  • Drug interactions
  • Inattentive nursing care
  • Unnecessary surgeries and medical
  • Surgical Errors
  • Radiology Errors
  • Bleeding
  • Wrongful death

Why Choose The Attorneys At Collins, Collins & Ray For Your Medical Negligence Case

Our experience includes successful recovery of lost wages, medical expenses/hospital and remedial medical expenses and other costs incurred because of serious physical injury and hardships caused by medical negligence. Many times we pursue investigation and filing of wrongful death claims for surviving family members.


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Our Achievements

  • The National Trial Lawyers - Top 100 Lawyers

    The National Trial Lawyers - Top 100 Trial Lawyers: Brian Ray 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021

  • Martindale Hubbell

    Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent: Brian Ray 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020

  • Top 10 Trucking Trial Lawyers

    The National Trial Lawyers – Top 10 Trucking Trial Lawyers: Brian Ray 2021

  • Little Rock Soiree – Best Lawyers 2013

    Little Rock Soiree – Best Lawyers: Brian Ray 2013

  • Avvo – Clients' Choice Award 2012, 2017 and 2019

    Avvo – Clients' Choice Award: Brian Ray 2012, 2017 and 2019 10.0 Superb Top Rated Personal Injury 10.0 Superb Top Attorney Criminal Defense Superb Top Attorney Medical Malpractice

  • AY Magazine’s Arkansas Best Lawyers

    AY Magazine’s Arkansas Best Lawyers: Brian Ray 2020, 2021

  • National Association of Distinguished Counsel Top One Percent

    National Association of Distinguished Counsel Top One Percent: Brian Ray 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020

  • American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys – 10 Best Client Satisfaction

    American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys – 10 Best Client Satisfaction: Brian Ray 2014, 2015, 2016

  • Nation’s Premier Top Ten Attorney – Personal Injury – 2016

    Nation’s Premier Top Ten Attorney – Personal Injury: Brian Ray 2016

  • Avvo Reviews

    Avvo 5 Star Rating: Brian Ray

  • Avvo Clients Choice Award

    Avvo Clients Choice Award - Brian Ray 2019

  • Avvo Top Attorney

    Avvo Rating - Top Attorney: Brian Ray

    Frequently Asked Questions

    • What happens if I settled my claim and need more medical care?

      We receive calls from people wondering about how to pay for necessary medical care and surgeries that were caused by an accident when the settlement was prematurely made and paid before all of the injuries came to light.

      Our experiences teach that many people involved in an accident have injuries that are permanent and create many life-altering consequences that will not necessarily be paid without aggressive representation (latent shoulder and knee damage, for example). Unfortunately, many people are urged to settle their claims before the complete picture of the medical consequences is known.

      When a claim is paid without consideration of permanent injuries and the need for future surgeries and medical care, the settlement amount paid is much less than it should have been (because it does not account for the money needed for those future surgeries, follow up physical therapy and the like). In those instances, the innocent accident victim may find that he or she requires expensive medical treatment that was caused by the accident, but there is no money to pay for it because the settlement was made too soon to include these damages.

      In our experience, injured accident victims are well served to fully complete all of their medical care and treatment before approving a settlement (being mindful of the statute of limitations). Experience teaches the value of following through will all recommended follow up treatment to be certain there are funds to cover lingering medical problems and future surgeries.

    • How long do I have after the incidence of medical negligence to make a claim?

      The majority of medical negligence cases must be correctly filed within two years of the date of the medical negligence. Cases involving minors (those less than 18 years of age) or incapacitated persons may be extended under certain circumstances that are well known to attorneys experienced with such claims. Caution is in order when considering any delay in presenting a medical negligence claim because of the fact that even when pursued immediately some delay is built in. Before any viable case of medical negligence can be brought, we must acquire voluminous medical records, set up the appropriate estate representative, and seek expert medical review by one qualified to render an opinion addressing the standard of care, its breach, and the medical/personal consequences. Many meritorious medical claims are lost through the failure to timely pursue them or bring them to the attention of a medical negligence attorney.

      If you fail to bring in the case within the required time period, you will completely lose all opportunity to bring the claim. This is true no matter how clear-cut the medical negligence may be. Many times we are faced with prospective clients that are sad to learn that they waited too long to do anything and lost the opportunity to bring the claim.

      Even with cases having merit, if you wait too long during the period you may face being denied qualified legal representation because of the lack of remaining time to accomplish those important tasks needed to evaluate the claim before the suit can even be filed. Immediate action likewise proves invaluable in making certain that the appropriate witnesses and evidence are identified. Many people choosing to delay are disappointed to find that important witnesses are not fully identified within the medical record as they might have expected, or that by the time the case is being investigated the witnesses are no longer available (through death, moving out of state, etc.).

    • Why file for a negligence case?

      We understand that losing a loved one is a difficult time in one’s life. Often times when our clients are experiencing this kind of grief it can be difficult to justify pursuing the case of medical negligence with the mindset that it will not bring your loved one(s) back. We understand that this decision is a highly personal choice. In an effort to provide some consolation, we have compiled a list of common reasons as to why people still pursue their medical negligence cases:

      • “I believe that serious attention to this problem is required because I am truly concerned that someone else will be needlessly hurt if we sit back and fail to sound the alarm about this dangerous medical provider, procedure or process.”
      • “My mom was the kind of person that would stand up and fight for what is right and I want to honor her memory and make sure that every question about her death is given a complete medical and legal answer because that is what she would have done for me under the circumstances.”
      • “This error was so egregious and beyond the pale that I simply could not rest if something were not done to correct it.”
      • “We think it is unfair for someone to so carelessly cause so much harm without any accountability.”
      • “We have tried and tried to get someone to talk to us about what happened and haven’t been able to get any information; we suspect a cover up”.
      • “The death cut down a man/woman in their prime and their family was relying on their income and support which is now lost forever.”

      Whatever the motivation, the law does provide accountability for patients needlessly harmed by medical care providers that failed to meet the standard of care required. Another rebuttal may be, “Why should I pursue a legal claim when there is no medical basis to think that the physical injury or disfigurement can be corrected (i.e., missing limb, burns, scars, circumcision errors and the like)?”
      Skilled attorneys can work to place the consequences of the harm on those that caused it. When done correctly, this means that the person (or persons) that caused the harm will be bound to pay for the future medical care required, the loss of income and possibly the future psychological treatment as well as the time and expense of travel incurred to seek out remedial treatment. Absent a legal claim, it is often the injured alone who bear all of the consequences.

    • Are there risks that could’ve been minimized in my medical negligence case?

      There is always risk associated with nearly every medical treatment and procedure. Trained and licensed medical care providers must take appropriate action to minimize that risk by meeting the requirements of the applicable standard of care. When those standards are disregarded, it is the patient that needlessly suffers, often tragically. Many people benefit when contacting an experienced and well-qualified medical negligence attorney immediately. Arkansas law gives surviving family members many tools to explore and evaluate whether medical negligence is the cause of serious injury or death. However, it is very difficult for most people to do this unless they come equipped with significant medical knowledge and significant legal experience. That is why it is critical to seek out legal counsel with significant experience in prosecuting and resolving such claims. As for the steps involved, they may be varied and complex, but there are few required in every case involving wrongful death. First, it is necessary to set up an estate on behalf of the deceased with an appropriate person to serve as the representative. The representative will need to obtain medical records, and obtain qualified legal counsel. These steps are necessary to establish the legal authority to investigate and prosecute the claim. Many medical care providers are trained and taught in a culture of silence when it comes to medical errors. Concerned patients and family members may not be given prompt and complete information about how the particular medical injury occurred. In medical negligence cases the person that was negligent may in fact write the record that documents the medical error and injury. Our firm is deeply familiar with reliable methods of gathering records, and obtaining independent expert review to shed light on a particular medical error and how it caused the poor outcome. Many victims of medical negligence are pleased to learn that the scrutiny and attention of the civil justice system improves medical care for other patients in the future.

    When It's Serious

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