Man Claims Prescription Error Caused His Stroke

Medication errors are one of the most common causes of medical malpractice in the United States, and they can have devastating repercussions. According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, medication errors result in at least one fatality every single day and injure an additional 1.3 million people every year.

Louisiana Record reports on a case involving an alleged prescription error and a subsequent stroke. The plaintiff filed a lawsuit at the end of January claiming he was the victim of medical malpractice.

In his complaint, he stated that he had been seeing the defendant as a patient from August 2009 to January 2014 to receive treatment for hypertension and atrial fibrillation; however, the patient claims the physician failed to prescribe him the correct medication, and he suffered a stroke in January 2014. The plaintiff believes the stroke occurred as a direct result of the prescription error and is seeking all reasonable damages.

For victims of medical malpractice, the costs can add up fast. From hospital bills and lost wages to the costs associated with recovering, the damages are often extensive.

If you think your doctor was negligent and you or a loved one suffered as a result, turn to a pharmacy error attorney from The Bowling Christiansen Law Firm. David A. Bowling has more than 30 years of trial experience, and he can assess your case to help you determine the best way to proceed. Call (504) 586-5200 to schedule an initial consultation with a Baton Rouge medical malpractice lawyer today, and read on to learn more about filing a claim on time:

What Is the Statute of Limitations for a Malpractice Suit in Louisiana?

Every state has laws governing how long a patient has to file a claim against a reckless or negligent healthcare provider. In the state of Louisiana, for example, a victim of medical malpractice has one year from the date of the alleged wrongdoing to file a claim.

If the malpractice is not immediately evident, the patient has one year from the date on which it became apparent or should have become apparent to file a claim. Additionally, there is a three-year statute of repose, which means no patient can file a malpractice suit after three years has passed, regardless of when they discovered the evidence of malpractice or suffered its effects.

Because the patient in the case above waited more than one year to file his claim, he must prove that he did not link the prescription error to his stroke until sometime in the past 12 months. If he can prove that, his case may proceed since he filed the claim just shy of the three-year deadline.

Building a strong malpractice case is a lot of work, and the longer a patient waits to file, the more challenging it can be. If you think you were the victim of a prescription error, turn to a medical malpractice lawyer from The Bowling Christiansen Law Firm. Call (504) 586-5200 to schedule an initial consultation with a Baton Rouge pharmacy error attorney.