Failing to Treat Crushing Injuries Immediately Can Kill a Patient: Minnesota Emergency Room Medical Malpractice

Crushing Injuries Are Life-Threatening Injuries and Must be Immediately Treated in the Emergency Room or it is Medical Malpractice

A crushing injury is exactly what it sounds like.  It is when a large force or pressure is exerted on a body part, usually due to falling weight, serious impact, or being pressed between two heavy objects or a fixed structure or wall.  While a crush injury may not always appear to be a serious injury, such as a person having his or her foot run over by a car, this actually is a dire medical emergency.  Hospital policies and procedures always require a patient with a crushing injury to be triaged very high because, even though there may be no outward manifestation of a serious injury, the internal damage is massive and significant.

However, not all hospitals and triage nurses remember this or comply with the policies and procedures.  This can result in a patient losing his or her limb, or even his or her life.  This is obviously medical malpractice, especially when the patient is sitting in the emergency room or emergency department just waiting for treatment.  If this has happened to your or a loved one, you need to call Kuhlman Law, LLC for a FREE consultation by dialing (612) 444-3374 to learn how we can protect your rights caused by an emergency room error.

Reasons Why Crush Injuries Require Immediate Medical Treatment

All crush injuries must have an elevated triage level, meaning patients with crushing injuries need to be seen as fast as possible.  This is because crushing injuries cause significant internal damage which is not always obvious at first glance.  Some of these injuries include the following:

• Significant internal bleeding which is not easily controlled;
• Compartment syndrome which is increased pressure on an extremity which beings to cause muscle, blood vessel, nerve, and other tissue damage due to the extreme pressure;
• Fractures, including serious fractures which can cut off blood supply to the rest of the limb;
• Permanent nerve damage which can effect sensation (pressure, temperature, feel, moisture) or motor skills (ability to move);
• Infections including sepsis, particularly when the wound is dirty and with debris, are very serious and dangerous; and
• Physiological changes such as causing muscle cells to become ischemic which can kill tissue in at little as an hour.

Failing to Triage a Crushing Injury is Negligent

For a victim to prove medical malpractice, he or she must establish that the healthcare provider failed to exercise the requisite degree of skill and care that a reasonably prudent physician in similar circumstances with similar training and knowledge would have done.  Said differently, a victim needs to show that the average physician would have properly treated the injury.  A failure to treat a crushing injury can be medical malpractice.

When it comes to crushing injuries, these are known to be incredibly dangerous injuries and require immediate care and treatment.  Physicians and healthcare providers, including specially trained triage nurses, know to triage higher crushing injuries—even minor ones—because of the internal damage that is brewing.  When a healthcare provider fails to do this, and the crushing injury is allowed to continue to worsen without intervention, it is hospital medical malpractice which allows a victim to recover compensation.

Even Minor Crushing Injuries Can Have Big Consequences: Failure to Treat Crushing Injuries Can be Minnesota Medical Malpractice

If you or a loved one have been injured due to the medical malpractice of a healthcare provider such as a doctor, nurse, hospital, or other health care service professional, call Kuhlman Law, LLC for a FREE consultation by dialing (612) 444-3374 to learn what your rights to compensation may be.  If we accept your case, we will conduct a thorough review of it and advise you whether there may have been a serious medical mistake causing your injury.   There is no risk, and you do not owe us money unless we win your case.