Prime Examples Of EMT Negligence

Whenever a medical emergency arises, people turn to EMT personnel for help. An EMT can provide stabilizing care during the ambulance ride to a hospital emergency room. If you contact an ambulance for help, you or your loved one expect to arrive at the emergency room as safely as possible.

Deaths in an ambulance can't always be attributed to a medical condition. In some cases, EMT negligence can contribute to a premature death. Identifying some prime examples of EMT negligence will help you determine if you should take legal action for the wrongful death of your loved one.

Ambulance Collisions

A duty of care exists between the EMT operating an ambulance and the patient being transported. The driver has an obligation to not only get a patient to the emergency room quickly but to arrive without incident.

When an EMT focuses more on speed, he or she can make decisions that compromise the safety of everyone in the ambulance. If an EMT's negligent actions result in an ambulance collision that kills your loved one, an attorney can help you gather evidence to file a wrongful death lawsuit.

Dosage Errors

It's important to remember that an EMT is not a doctor. These medical professionals are only allowed to administer certain medications to patients as these patients are transported to a hospital emergency room.

When administering approved medications, the EMT must take the time to ask what narcotics the patient is currently taking. Certain medications can be deadly if mixed. If your loved one dies as a result of a deadly pharmaceutical cocktail or a lethal dosage of an approved medication, you may have a case for a wrongful death lawsuit.

Miscommunication

Just because your loved one arrives at the hospital alive doesn't mean that an EMT can't still be guilty of negligence in the subsequent death of your friend or family member. When admitting a patient into the emergency room, an EMT is required to relay an accurate and complete report of his or her assessment of the patient's condition to the attending physician.

Failure to provide the required information could lead to a misdiagnosis or a lack of care that leads to your loved one's death. A wrongful death lawsuit may be filed if the EMT's miscommunication with the doctor at the hospital emergency room prevented your loved one from receiving the lifesaving medical care that he or she needed.

For more information, contact your local wrongful death accident attorney.