Hospitalization

Each year in California thousands of people are hospitalized for injuries they suffered an accidents. In many cases these accidents are caused by someone else's carelessness. There are also cases where individuals sustain further injury while hospitalized due to negligence or malpractice.

If you were hospitalized because of an accident it could have been for any one of a number of reasons including: brain injury, back injury, neck injury, bone fracture, leg or ankle injuries, hit injury, shoulder injury, necessary surgery, internal injuries or other serious injury.

In many instances patients incur injury during a hospital stay. Hospitals can be at fault in any number of ways.

• Nursing errors which may involve a failure to report to a doctor all issues on a timely basis
• Medication miscalculations, like administering an incorrect drug or the wrong dosage
• Surgical mistakes such as operating on incorrect body parts and leaving surgical apparatuses in a body cavity
• Anesthesia issues
• Blood transfusions
• Staph infections

Hospitals can also be held accountable for substandard hiring or training practices, breakdowns in communication that lead to injury, contaminated conditions that result in infection, as well as malfunctioning equipment.

Hospitals are expensive. If you were hospitalized, you are probably worrying about your hospital bills. You may be out of work because of your injury. This can be very upsetting, especially if your injuries were caused by someone else. You know you want to do something about it, but you are not sure where to turn. That is where we can help.

The average cost of a day in a California hospital is approximately $2000. The costs are astronomical even with good insurance, but for those without insurance it can be devastating. A stay in the hospital is expensive in other ways too. Loss of work and depression are added expenses to even a short hospital stay.

Many hospital patients are not aware that a knowledgeable lawyer can help them recoup some or all of their losses during an expensive hospital stay. If a car accident or work related accident caused the hospital stay a lawyer will be able to file a court case to reimburse the patient for all expenses. If a hospital or medical error has caused injury, a reputable lawyer can help in this instance as well.

For over 40 years, I have been an attorney helping injured people like you with their hospital bills, lost income, and all the problems that come with you having a serious personal injury.

California law states that you have a right to recover money damages with you are injured because of someone else's carelessness. Those money damages include money to pay your hospital bills, make up for your lost income, and all other damages you have experienced, including pain and suffering. If you have been injured, you should call us for help. Our office offers years of trial experience involving hospital stays, loss of wages, emotional distress and the myriad issues that accompany them.

Impairment of earning capacity, lifestyle changes and future damages are things most people do not consider when they enter into a lengthy hospital stay. In hospital stays for brain injuries these are real concerns. Serious injuries like brain trauma will often result in the patient’s diminished earning capacity for the rest of their lives. Head and brain trauma also causes serious lifestyle changes. Many of the activities victims could once do are no longer options. Patients of this type also have a long road of future medical issues ahead of them. Statistics show people who undergo a head injury causing permanent brain damage are markedly more likely to develop clinical depression and Alzheimer's disease.

In the California case of Magnaye v. Akhondzadeh, in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Juana Magnaye checked into the hospital for a laparoscopic gallbladder removal. The surgery was botched, however, and the results were a necessity for major reconstructive surgery and ongoing complications due to incontinence and diarrhea. She was awarded $395,854.

In California, the law imposes a statute of limitations, which sets a maximum amount of time that legal proceedings can occur after the date the incident. Each year at our Law Office, people call me to ask me for help that have legitimate cases, only to find their statute of limitations has run out. It is one of the most difficult things for me to tell them I can’t help because they waited too long.

In cases of medical malpractice, California statutes state the time allowed to file a claim runs out three years from the date of the damage, or one year from the date the injured party discovers or realistically should have learned of the injury, whichever occurs first. If the medical malpractice act is based upon the existence of a foreign object inside the patient’s body, the statute of limitations does not begin until the patient discovers, or should have discovered, the item. The statutes of limitation for medical malpractice applies to minors six years of age and older.

If you or a loved one has been hospitalized after an accident, you will need a lawyer with experience. Call us at the Law Offices of Moseley Collins. Moseley is a personal injury attorney serving those badly hurt throughout California and specializing in the cities of Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, and Los Angeles. There is no fee to discuss your case and there is no fee unless we win.