Failure To Diagnose And Misdiagnosis
Were you or a loved one harmed by a doctor’s misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose?
You may be entitled to care and compensation, and our team can help. We are fully committed to your physical and financial recovery, and our care policy reflects that.
Call 1-866-269-2481.
Experience – Oatley Vigmond’s greatest asset
At Oatley Vigmond, we are highly experienced with medical malpractice litigation, and understand the nature of cases resulting from failure to diagnose and misdiagnosis.
A failure to diagnose or misdiagnosis of a serious condition falls under the category of negligence or malpractice. In order for a doctor’s failure to diagnose or misdiagnosis to be considered negligent, their failure must be below the standard of care expected of a reasonably competent doctor. It also needs to be proven that the negligence was the probable cause of the poor outcome.
In Ontario, you can seek compensation for failure to diagnose and misdiagnosis and sue for damages. The law also allows the family members of a person who has died to sue the doctor for damages.
After over 40 years of success, the Oatley Vigmond team has distinguished itself as a leading personal injury law firm in this field. In this time, we’ve earned the trust of Ontarians in need, and accrued landmark personal injury settlements for the families of medical malpractice victims.
Our team consists of lawyers who qualify as Certified Litigation Specialists under the Law Society of Upper Canada. This body governs Ontario’s lawyers, ensuring that the people of Ontario are served by lawyers who meet high standards of learning, competence and professional conduct.
We have a proven track record for advocating and winning cases on behalf of injured persons and their families. Our lawyers and support staff work side-by-side to offer the highest level of legal guidance to see your case through to a successful settlement or outcome. Over the course of a lawsuit, we develop a special relationship with our clients. We encourage you to listen to what our clients have to say about our lawyers and the Oatley Vigmond approach.
Call 1-866-269-2481 for a free consultation from an experienced member of our team!
Risk-free representation – Oatley Vigmond’s promise
The financial repercussions of a doctor’s misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose can be life-changing. Most victims of medical malpractice require extended periods of hospitalization, and may be rendered incapable of returning to work. Paying for rehabilitation and intensive care is hard enough—having to plan financially for a life without employment income can be overwhelming.
In Canada, most doctors are covered by a specialized medical defence organization called the Canadian Medical Protective Association. The CMPA defends doctors who are alleged to have been negligent in caring for a patient. Lawyers who specialize in failure to diagnose and misdiagnosis are familiar with the CMPA and the evidence required in bringing a successful claim.
The Oatley Vigmond team has the knowledge, experience, and resources needed to secure the care and compensation you need to secure your physical and financial future. We will fight for you without ever increasing your family’s financial burden: we offer free consultations and do not charge for unsuccessful claims. This policy allows us to put qualified, risk-free representation within your reach.
We encourage you to listen to what our clients have to say about the lawyers, accident benefits specialists, and care teams that form the heart of the Oatley Vigmond approach.
Call 1-866-269-2481 to speak with a lawyer
Putting people first – Oatley Vigmond’s mandate
It is natural to feel overwhelmed if you or your family is coping with a doctor’s failure to diagnose or misdiagnose a serious condition. These fears are often intensified by the financial pressures that arise when you or a loved one are unable to work.
At Oatley Vigmond, we understand your needs during this difficult time, and are standing by to support you, both in and out of the courtroom. While we fight for your compensation, our care teams also address your immediate recovery needs, whether that means driving you to rehabilitation sessions or installing accessibility modifications at home.
While you focus on recovery, we ensure that the correct experts properly document your injury, predict your future level of impairment and calculate the economic losses that are expected to result from your impairment. Next, we help you navigate time-sensitive medical and insurance policy processes to ensure all deadlines are met and the maximum amount of compensation is received.
Consult with Oatley Vigmond – understand your options
Oatley Vigmond represents people across Ontario who have experienced a doctor’s failure to diagnose or misdiagnosis. If you or someone you love has been seriously injured, please contact us to receive a free consultation from one of our experienced personal injury lawyers.
We believe in putting people first – that is the heart and soul of the Oatley Vigmond approach.
Call 1-866-269-2481 to book your risk-free consultation.
What are some examples of medical malpractice?
Birth injuries may occur for a variety of reasons, but in instances in which they are caused due to medical negligence and careless mistakes made by your health care provider, you have the legal right to hold the responsible party accountable. Some birth injuries that may be caused by medical malpractice include:
- Brachial plexus (also known as Erb’s palsy or shoulder dystocia)
- Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN)
- Anoxia
- Bone fractures
- Hypoxia
- Cephalohematoma
- Facial paralysis
- Spinal cord injuries
- Fetal lacerations
- Caput succedaneum
- Delayed recognition of fetal distress
- Failure to assess
- Improper use of forceps
Cerebral Palsy can be caused by a number of complications during labour, some of which may have been caused by the doctor or the attending nurses. Your cerebral palsy injury claim can be substantiated by any of the following negligent acts by a health care provider:
- Failure to recognize or treat seizures post-delivery
- Improper or excessive use of vacuum extraction
- Improper use of delivery forceps
- Failure to identify prolapsed umbilical cord which results in oxygen deprivation
- Failure to extract the child from the birth canal in a timely manner, resulting in oxygen deprivation
- Improper response to the mother’s elevated blood pressure or toxemia
- Improper diagnoses or treatment of jaundice or meningitis
- Failure to perform C-section in a timely matter despite large birth weight indicators
- Failure to respond adequately to fetal heart rate changes
A doctor’s negligence can have grave consequences, potentially resulting in unnecessary injury and prolonged suffering. This can mean financial losses, emotional pain and suffering, and even death. Although every case is different, your medical malpractice lawyer will generally use the following framework for the basis of your doctor’s negligence claim:
- Establish criteria for a reasonable standard of care. Before we can determine whether your doctor’s actions failed to meet reasonable medical standards, we must first define these criteria. Your medical malpractice lawyer will retain specialists from the health care sector to identify reasonable standards of care, then ascertain whether these were met.
- Identify a breach of reasonable standards of care. Once we have established criteria for reasonable standards of medical care and competency, we must prove the doctor’s negligence.
- Establish causation for your personal injury. To win your medical malpractice case, you must link your injury to the doctor’s negligence. In some cases, a proven breach of reasonable standards of care may be unrelated to the injury. For example, failure to sterilize surgical tools is a clear breach of reasonable standards, but cannot be considered the cause for the wrong arm being operated on. On the other hand, the doctor’s negligence here could be linked to the development of a life-threatening infection during the patient’s recovery.
- Assess the damages of your medical malpractice injury. Once you have submitted evidence that establishes the doctor’s negligence caused your injury, you will need to assess its financial consequences. Accurate assessments depend on specialized knowledge obtained through collaboration between insurers, medical experts and members of your legal team.
Pharmacy malpractice or pharmacy negligence refers to the incorrect filling of a prescription and can also include:
- Processing order liabilities
- Unauthorized prescription refills
- Improper labelling or instruction
- Wrong drug, dosage or potency
- Failure to warn patient of hazardous side effects, including addiction, consequences of excessive dosages and other risks that may arise from using the drug
- Failure to dispense necessary medication
Typically, the success of a pharmacy malpractice case will hinge on two factors:
- The personal injury lawyer’s ability to establish the pharmacist’s duty of care to the persons receiving his or her prescription – this may require proof of vicarious liability
- The personal injury lawyer’s ability to prove that pharmacy malpractice or pharmacy negligence has occurred – this will require documentary and oral evidence, as well as testimony from medical experts detailing the harm resulting from negligence
Once these criteria have been satisfied, liability will be imposed on the pharmacist, who will be required to compensate for pain and suffering, medical care, and other financial losses and expenses resulting from their negligence. Families who lose a loved one can also file a pharmacy malpractice against the pharmacist who breached their duty of care.
Surgical malpractice refers to any instance where physical, emotional or financial harm was inflicted as a direct result of a doctor’s negligence before, during or after an operation. Surgical injury and error varies widely in type and severity. For example, a doctor could fail to remove surgical materials during the operation, use improper surgical techniques, and as a result cause damage to nearby organs or membranes. In most cases, your claim will proceed under the theory of surgical negligence. Related issues include: negligent prescription of medications or medical devices and failure to obtain a patient’s “informed consent.”
Under the theory of negligence, the patient must prove:
- The surgeon’s duty of care to the patient, typically through illustration of the doctor/patient relationship
- The applicable standard of care, along with the health care professional’s deviation from this standard
- The extent of the patient’s injury, often through third-party assessments made by medical professionals
- The causal connection between the doctor’s deviation from the standard of care and the patient’s injury
What happens if I suffer a medical malpractice?
Not all accidents and unfortunate outcomes are the result of medical malpractice. However, if you suspect that a health care professional involved in your care has made a mistake, it is important that you speak with a lawyer as soon as possible.
In Ontario, you can seek compensation for medical malpractice and sue for damages. The law also allows the family members of a person who has died to sue for damages. The area of medical malpractice is exceptionally complicated, and hospitals and health care professionals have a reputation of defending any lawsuits with well-funded and highly skilled lawyers. As a result, it’s important that you contact a medical malpractice lawyer with the academic and experiential knowledge needed to navigate this complex process.
Many law firms claim they can help you following medical malpractice. The Oatley Vigmond approach is what sets us apart. Many of our lawyers are certified as Litigation Specialists by the Law Society of Upper Canada; the only body that governs Ontario’s lawyers ensuring that the people of Ontario are served by lawyers who meet high standards of learning, competence and professional conduct. Our experienced personal injury lawyers help pursue compensation and address the long-term needs of the injured person and his or her family.
In Canada, most doctors are covered by a specialized medical defence organization called the Canadian Medical Protective Association. The CMPA defends doctors who are alleged to have been negligent in caring for a patient. Lawyers who specialize in medical malpractice are familiar with the CMPA and the evidence required in order to be successful in developing a claim.